Headaches and Migraines

There are several different types of headaches. Seeking medical care for proper diagnosis and subsequent treatment is important to successful management of headaches. If you are taking over-the-counter pain medications more than 2–3 times per week for headaches, you owe it to yourself to get to the bottom of what is causing them.

Tension Headache

The majority of headaches are tension headaches and are related to stress, muscular tension, and often poor posture. Tension headaches often start in the back of the head and move into the temples and behind the eyes. These headaches often occur in the afternoon and can feel like your head is being squeezed. Tension headaches are typically caused by muscular tension in the neck and upper back. Taking prescription or over-the-counter pain relievers does nothing to address the cause of the headaches; thus, they continue to occur and usually become more frequent. As this happens, more and more of the pain relievers are needed to alleviate the pain. Taking even moderate doses of over-the-counter pain relievers can lead to far more serious problems than a headache. Chiropractic care, massage therapy and acupuncture can all help end your suffering without having to take all the pills.

Hormonally Linked Headache

For women, many headaches can be linked to hormonal changes during their monthly cycle or during menopause and the time leading up to it. Headaches are a common premenstrual complaint. In these cases, assessment of hormones can allow abnormal fluctuation to be controlled and ease headache pain, as well as other menstrual symptoms. More female hormone info

Migraine

Migraine headaches are severe headaches caused by vascular dysfunction. Migraine headaches are brought on by increased blood flow to the brain. What causes this increased blood flow is not known, however, many people have found that certain triggers seem to bring on their migraines. A migraine headache often will come on suddenly and last for a prolonged period of time. Depending on the severity of the migraine, many sufferers are extremely sensitive to light and sounds and find it challenging to carry out their daily activities.

Analgesic medications are often ineffective for migraine headaches. To be successful with migraine management, a thorough evaluation of possible triggers including evaluation of possible food allergies or hormonal fluctuations must be done. Management includes identifying the triggers linked to migraine and finding effective ways to avoid them. Treatment can be as simple as mineral replacement or neurotransmitter balancing. Chiropractic care and acupuncture have a very successful track record with all types of headaches. Be sure to contact our office to consult with a doctor on your case. Seeking treatment between migraines or very early on in a headache is the most effective.