If you have ever had a migraine or even if you have a friend who gets migraines, then you know how powerfully they can affect your health and well-being. The symptoms most often associated with migraines are the following:
- Sensitivity to light, sound, and certain smells
- Throbbing or pounding severe head pain
- Pain that affects one side of the head in two-thirds of the cases
- Head pain that lasts anywhere from 4 to 72 hours
- Nausea often accompanied by vomiting
- Dizziness or vertigo — a sensation that either you or the things around you are spinning
When these symptoms hit out of the blue, the sufferer is often forced to lie down in a cool, dark room until the pain subsides. Even after the pain is gone, you may feel as if you have a migraine hangover. You may be extremely tired and still have some lingering symptoms.
Migraines are very common. As many as 39 million people in the United States and 1 billion people worldwide suffer from migraines. Migraines can be occasional or chronic. Chronic migraines affect you for at least 15 days out of a 30-day period. Sometimes they happen every day.
The Negative Impact of Migraines
It is obvious from this information that if you have migraines, you are probably missing out on a lot of activities you enjoy or need to do, for example, work meetings, family gatherings, and special occasions. In fact, a migraine sufferer may become afraid to make plans for fear of having to cancel at the last minute due to the pain of migraines. However, there is another area of life that is impacted. It is shown in the following results that were recorded from a study of migraine sufferers.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and migraines download our complimentary e-book Natural and Drug-Free Ways to End Your Migraines by clicking the image below.
- 50 percent of those in the study were more prone to having disagreements with family members
- 85 percent felt they were unable to perform routine household chores
- 32 percent were afraid to commit to plans with their friends
This study reveals the frustrations experienced when one has migraines.
Triggers for Migraines
There are a number of different things that can trigger migraines. It is important to understand that migraine triggers do not cause a migraine to occur. But they are things which may make you more susceptible to developing a migraine if you are exposed to these things. It is important for you to do all that you can to identify possible triggers. They are different for each person. The best way to identify yours is to keep what is referred to as a migraine diary. This is a record of what happened the day or so before your migraine occurred. You may want to record such things as the weather, the temperature and if it changed at all, what food you ate, what you had to drink, what activities you took part in, and anything that you might have done that was different than your normal routine. Here are some common migraine triggers:
- Certain foods:
- Red wine
- Aged cheese
- Chocolate
- MSG
- Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners
- Extreme stress — either physical or emotional
- Not eating meals at regular intervals, leading to low blood sugar levels
- Weather changes
- Changes in barometric levels
- Temperature changes
- High or low humidity
- Storms
- Lightning
Seeking Care for Relief of Migraines
Many people turn to their primary care doctors to find relief for migraines. It is a good idea to make sure something more serious is not going on if you are experiencing migraines for the first time or if they are different than migraines you have had in the past. Your doctor may order some tests to rule out other conditions. After making sure there is no underlying cause, he may recommend some over-the-counter or prescription medications. While these may help temporarily, it is important to remember they all come with unwanted and some dangerous side effects. Another problem which can develop is that too much medication can lead to a medication overuse or rebound headache. This comes about by using too much pain medication on a regular basis, which actually causes a headache — sometimes worse than migraines — to develop. The only way to get rid of this kind of a headache is to stop taking medication altogether. Often this becomes a lifelong problem, and you may be unable to take pain medication without having a serious reaction. This is leading to many people turning to natural methods to solve the pain of migraines. But, the question remains: what works for migraine pain?
A Natural Solution to Migraines
Here at Vital Life Wellness Center in Dublin, California, we have seen great success in caring for our patients with migraines. We understand the connection between a misalignment in one of the top bones of the spine — the C1 or C2 vertebra — and how this can bring about migraine pain. The C1 and C2 vertebrae were designed to protect the delicate brainstem. The brainstem is the communication center of the entire body. It is responsible for relaying messages to and from the brain and body. If one of these bones misaligns, it can cause stress on the brainstem. This can lead to a miscommunication between the brain and the body. Another thing that might happen is the misalignment may act as a type of blockage of blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow.
We use a gentle method to correct the misalignment. It does not require us to pop or crack the neck or spine. Rather, we encourage the bones to realign more naturally, leading to a longer-lasting adjustment. People have noticed an improvement in their migraines in just a few visits.
To schedule a complimentary NUCCA consultation call 925-829-7900 or just click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.
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