Checking
the Symptoms and Causes of Headaches It’s generally a migraine
when the head feels like it’s going to burst. There’s a deep, throbbing
pain, localized either on one side of the head or the other. The patient usually
can’t stand light or noise. Nausea and impaired vision are common. Attacks
come frequently and can last as long as a few hours to a few days. They are often
set-off by menstruation, too much alcohol, caffeine, or smoking. The
pain of a tension headache is distinctly different. It’s a dull, steady
pain that grips the entire head. There is usually stiffness in the neck and tension
between the shoulder blades. Attacks are often triggered by stress or fatigue.
They occur frequently and can last hours. What
Causes headaches? When a misalignment causes migraines,
the out of position vertebra puts pressure on one or more spinal nerves. As a
result, the blood flow to the head is reduced. To compensate, blood vessels in
the head expand and irritate surrounding nerves. Result:
the throbbing pan of a migraine. The situation with a tension
headache is different. Here the pressure of the spinal nerves is not severe enough
to affect blood flow. However, contraction of neck muscles and tearing of muscle
fibers irritate the underlying nerves within the neck. The irritated nerves signal
for muscles to tighten resulting in a cycle of spasm and pain throughout the head. Result:
the dull pain of a tension headache. Don’t let headache
pain ruin your life. Poehlman Chiropractic has treated hundreds of people just
like you and may be able to help. Headaches  If
you suffer from headaches, a chiropractic spinal checkup is one of the best things
you can do. Chiropractic's safe, gentle, drugless methods have helped millions
of headache sufferers over the years. Yet chiropractic does not claim to be a
headache treatment and cure — it has a different approach to health care.
Doctors of chiropractic free your body from the vertebral subluxation complex,
or VSC, that has the power to destroy your health. It affects millions of us —
it is a hidden epidemic. When freed of subluxations your body works more efficiently
to use its natural energies to heal itself. How is this accomplished? Read on.
Muscle Tension Headaches Many
things can cause a headache: strong smells; intense lights; sinus trouble; high
blood pressure; dental problems; ear, eye or vision conditions; fevers; infections;
tumors; seizures; lumbar punctures; alcoholic \ drinks; drugs; accidents, and
other causes. You can get a headache just worrying about all the things that cause
them. And that leads us to the most common headache of all: the muscle tension,
worry or "stress" headache that makes up 90% of all headaches. What
Puts the Ache in Headache? The ache in headache does not
come from the brain. It's true! Your brain can feel no sensation. Even during
brain surgery the patient is often wide awake feeling no pain, even talking to
the doctors while his/her brain is being tampered with (a local anesthetic numbs
the scalp). What puts the "ache" in your headache? Veins and arteries
inside the brain and skull, membranes that wrap around the brain and certain nerves
in the head called the cranial nerves. When these are pulled, stretched, compressed,
irritated, inflamed or infected, headaches often result. Treatment Headache
treatment depends on what caused it. A headache arising from visual problems can
often be cured by eyeglasses. An infection headache of the sinuses or ears is
relieved when the infection subsides. But the most common headaches are  usually
treated with painkillers. The hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year
on everything from aspirin and Tylenol™ to prescription drugs may provide
blessed relief, but please remember — the pain may be gone, but the cause
of the headache is not corrected. That's why we may see millions of people swallowing
pills for years, possibly suffering from the side effects of long-term medication
— and not getting any better, only temporarily feeling better. Surely, that's
not a healthy way to live. The Chiropractic Approach Millions
of headache sufferers are turning to the natural, drugless chiropractic approach
to health. Chiropractors are the only healing professionals who are trained to
analyze and correct the vertebral subluxation complex — a spinal distortion
that can damage your nerves, inflame your tissues, cause muscles to tighten and
knot, weaken your body, cause fatigue, and set the stage for sickness and disease.
It is truly a hidden epidemic. The Chiropractic
Checkup Just as you may have a cavity in your teeth and be unaware of the
damage it's causing, so the VSC may be causing serious harm to your body —
sometimes for years — without your knowledge. Using
his/her hands, X-ray and other instruments to analyze your spine, the chiropractor
will determine if you have VSC. Then, using special techniques, your chiropractor
will perform a chiropractic spinal adjustment to correct the vertebral subluxation
complex, removing the nerve pressure and spinal distortions. To
Restore Itself Remember, the purpose of the chiropractic spinal adjustment
is to remove the nerve and spinal stress caused by the vertebral subluxation complex.
This permits your body to restore itself to a greater level of health and wholeness
— in effect, to better heal itself. The
Spine and Headaches Researchers have often noted the relationship between
the spine and many types of headaches. (1-4) For example, one study of 6,000 long-term
(two to 25 years) headache sufferers revealed that neck injury (whiplash, falls)
was the most important factor in the cause of the headache and should be suspected
in every nonspecific case of headache. (5)  For
over one hundred years, doctors of chiropractic have observed an intimate relationship
between the spine and headaches. Many migraine patients (both adult and child)
have claimed relief under chiropractic care. (6, 7)
In
other words, if you suffer from headaches, make sure your spine is healthy —
see your chiropractor. The chiropractic spinal adjustment
permits your body to restore itself to a greater level of health and wholeness.
Postscript No matter what
disease or condition you have, you can benefit from a healthy spine. Spinal health
can be as important for your overall healing as proper nutrition. Are you and
your family carrying the vertebral subluxation complex in your spines? Only a
chiropractic spinal checkup can tell. Among the many things
contributing to your health — the quality of the air, food and water you
take in; how you handle emotional stress; your inherited weaknesses and strengths;
your use of drugs; exercise; and relaxation — a healthy spine is absolutely
essential. In some people, it is a major factor and can make the difference between
a life of health, strength and vitality or a life of disease, weakness and disability. A
healthy spine can improve your life — see your chiropractor for periodic
spinal checkups. Chiropractic's safe, gentle, drugless
methods have helped millions of headache sufferers over the years.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
References
1. Seletz, E. Whiplash injuries. JAMA, Nov. 29,1958,
pp. 1750-1755.
2. Bogduk, N. Cervical causes of headache and dizziness. In
G. Grieve (Hd.), Modern manual therapy of the vertebral column. Churchill Livingstone,
1986. pp. 289-299.
3. Bogduk, N. The anatomical basis forcervicogenic headache.
IMl'T, Jan. 1992, pp. 67-70.
4. Kreeft.J. Headache following whiplash. In
Spine: Stale of the art reviews Cervical flexion-cxtension/whiplash injuries.
Sept. 1993, p. 395.
5. Braaf, M. M. & Rosner, S.J. Trauma of the cervical
spine as cause of chronic headache. Trauma. 1975,15, pp. 441-446.
6. Whittingham,
W, Ellis, W.B. & Molyneux, J.B. The effect of manipulation (toggle recoil
technique) for headaches with upper cervical joint dysfunction: A pilot study.
JMPT, 1994,12(6), pp. 369-375.
7. Turk, Z. & Ratkolb, 0. Mobilization
of the cervical spine in chronic headaches. Manuel Medizin. 1987. nn. 15-17.
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