Mahler Family Chiropractic Center

Headaches affect just about everyone at some point and they can present themselves in many different ways. Some people only experience pain in one part of their head or behind their eyes, some people experience a pounding sensation inside their whole head, and some people even experience nausea, while others do not. The pain itself may be dull or sharp and may last anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Fortunately, very few headaches have serious underlying causes, but those that do require urgent medical attention.

Headaches & migraines affect over 25 million Americans each year. This includes men, women and children - of ALL age groups. There are many different types of headaches (over 300 in all). And each one has it's own unique presentation and associated symptoms. Of the 300 different types of headaches that have been categorized, the following three types are the most common:

• Tension Headaches

Tension type headaches are the most common, affecting upwards of 75% of all headache sufferers. Tension headaches are usually described as a constant dull, achy feeling either on one side or both sides of the head and characterized as a feeling of a tight band or dull ache around the head or behind the eyes. These headaches usually begin slowly and gradually increase in intensity throughout the day. They can last for a few minutes or days, and tend to begin in the middle or toward the end of the day. Although the pain can be severe at times, they are usually not associated with other symptoms, such as nausea, throbbing or vomiting. Tension headaches are often the result of stress or bad posture, which stresses the spine and muscles in the upper back and neck.

• Migraine Headaches

Each year, about 25 million people in the U.S. experience migraine headaches, and about 75% are women. Migraines are intense and throbbing headaches that are often associated with nausea and sensitivity to light or noise. They can last from as little as a few hours to as long as a few days. Many of those who suffer from migraines experience visual symptoms called an "aura" just prior to an attack that is often described as seeing flashing lights or that everything takes on a dream-like appearance.
Migraine headaches are caused by a constriction of the blood vessels in the brain, followed by a dilation of blood vessels. Even in people who don’t experience the classic migraine aura, most of them can tell that an attack is immanent. Once the blood vessels dilate, there is a rapid increase in blood pressure inside the head. It is this increased pressure that leads to the pounding headache. Each time the heart beats it sends another shock wave through the carotid arteries in the neck up into the brain.

There are many theories about why the blood vessels constrict in the first place, but no one knows for sure. What we do know is that there are a number of things that can trigger migraines, such as lack of sleep, stress, flickering lights, strong odors, changing weather patterns and several foods; especially foods that are high in an amino acid called ‘tyramine.’You can reduce the likelihood of migraine headaches by making some lifestyle changes.

• Cluster Headaches

Cluster headaches are typically very short in duration, excruciating headaches, usually felt on one side of the head behind the eyes. Cluster headaches affect about 1 million people in the United States and, unlike migraines, are much more common in men. This is the only type of headache that tends to occur at night. The reason that they are called ‘cluster’ headaches is that they tend to occur one to four times per day over a period of several days. After one cluster of headaches is over, it may be months or even years, before they occur again. Like migraines, cluster headaches are likely to be related to a dilation of the blood vessels in the brain, causing a localized increase in pressure.

Instead of masking symptoms with toxic chemicals, a better way to curing headaches may be found using natural approaches. The first step is to try and figure out all the different types of triggers which may be causing headaches. Food allergies, inadequate sleep, lack of stress management, too much coffee, etc... are all common causes which are easily corrected. Additionally, you may wish to get your spine checked for vertebral misalignment and/or poor posture to see if there are mechanical stressors which may be irritating your spine and nervous system. Additionally, a lab work up may be needed to find out if you have any nutritional deficiencies.

If you have been suffering with headaches or migraines call today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. We can sit down together and discuss your case. Take the first step to feeling better now by calling us today.

The medical approach to treating headaches typically comes in the form of over the counter drugs such as aspirin, Tylenol, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium. Prescription strength headache drugs are typically triptans, steroids, anti-depressants, opioids, and anti-convulsants. This approach may not be for everyone. Drugs do not cure headaches, they only mask symptoms. Additionally they're toxic (which taxes the function of the liver and kidneys). They're expensive and they have numerous side effects (such as drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, high blood pressure, weight gain, mood swings, dependency & addiction, worsening of headaches (rebound), itching, respiratory problems, weakened immune system, trouble sleeping, dry mouth, difficulty urinating, impotence, blurry vision and death.