What If You Could Seriously Reduce The Frequency of Your Headaches?

Surely you must have dreamed of the day when you don’t have headaches! This blog post will contain two ways you can potentially decrease the frequency and severity of your headaches and do so in a short period of time.

The first method is to get a chiropractic manipulation for your headache. To some people, this may seem like out-of-the-box thinking but after it’s explained why it works, it will make sense to you.

Spinal nerves and cranial nerves (nerves inside the head) control the sensation of pain on the face and head, as well as the five senses. When any of them are irritated, that’s when you will have symptoms. A headache is only one of numerous symptoms that could potentially result from irritated nerves. Chiropractic manipulation allows the irritated nerve the chance to heal, and thus helps restore the nervous system impulses.

In a study of 127 people who suffered from migraines (at least one per month), 83 people in the chiropractic group received a maximum of 16 chiropractic treatments for headache over a two-month period of time. The rest of them were in the control group. There was a significant improvement in frequency of migraine headache, how long they lasted, how disabled they were as a result of a headache and how much medication they used.

Now here’s the best part: 22% of these patients had more than a 90% reduction of migraines! All these positive effects happened from chiropractic treatment.

About 50% of those who received chiropractic treatment reported significant improvement in the seriousness of their migraine headaches as well.

Your first method to seriously reduce the frequency of your headaches is to start chiropractic treatment.

The second method is to decrease your dependence on migraine headache medication. It can be difficult to suffer through a migraine headache but the fact is that headache medications can cause headaches!

Who needs or wants to be saddled with a headache anymore? Take this information and make it usable right away!

Source: Tuchin, P.J., Pollard, H. and Bonello, R. A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraines. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2000 Feb; 23(2): 91-5.

Written by: Dr. Barry Hitchcock on October 1, 2014.

David Marcon, DC
463 Ohio Pike, Suite 104
Cincinnati, Ohio 45255
513-474-1111
www.marconchiropractic.com

Neck Adjustments Effective for Cervicogenic Headache

Most people with chronic headache depend on medication to get by, but a recent study reminds us of the power of drug-free treatments.



Cervicogenic headache is estimated to affect between 20-25% of the adult population, but because the symptoms often mimic migraine and tension-type headache, the diagnosis can be easily overlooked.

This headache type is caused by musculoskeletal impairments in the cervical spine, or neck, that cause pain at the base of the skull or above the eyes. Patients also often report dizziness and lightheartedness. Both invasive and non-invasive treatments are available for CGH, but more research was needed to confirm the effectiveness of non-invasive approaches.

A recent study included a meta-analysis of six randomized, controlled trials on the effects of manual therapies for CGH. The interventions assessed included therapist-driven cervical manipulation and mobilization (neck adjustments); self-applied cervical mobilization; cervico-scapular strengthening; and therapist-driven cervical and thoracic manipulation.

Patients in all but one study reported a decrease in disability and pain after these treatments, as well as an improvement in function. The researchers found that a combined treatment of therapist-driven cervical manipulation and mobilization, along with strengthening exercises, were the most effective for minimizing pain.

These results add to previous research demonstrating the efficacy of a combined chiropractic and exercise treatment for CGH. Before you reach for medication for your headache, consider seeing a chiropractor who can help to diagnose and treat your headache once and for all.

References

Jull G, Trott P, Potter H, et al. A randomized controlled trail of exercise and manipulative therapy for cervicogenic headache. Spine 2002; 27(17):1835-1843.
Racicki S, et al. Conservative physical therapy management for the treatment of cervicogenic headache: a systemic review. Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapy 2013; 21(2): 113-124. 

Written by: Marissa Luck on January 28, 2014.on January 27, 2014.

David Marcon, DC
463 Ohio Pike, Suite 104
Cincinnati, Ohio 45255
513-474-1111
drdave@marconchiropractic.com
www.marconchiropractic.com 

Allergies Make Migraines Worse

Is the change in seasons giving you the sniffles? Seasonal allergies could make you suffer from more severe migraine headaches, according to new research from the University of Cincinnati University of Cincinnati (UC), Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Vedanta Research.

The study, published in the journal Cephalalgia, is one of the first to establish a direct link between nasal allergies (rhinitis) and the frequency of migraines.

“The fact that rhinitis occurred in more than half of these individuals emphasizes that these disorders are intimately linked,” said Jonathan Bernstein, MD, medicine professor and clinical research director in the division of immunology, allergy, and rheumatology at UC.

Around 12% of Americans suffer from migraines headaches, while anywhere between 25-50% of the population is affected by seasonal allergies. Researchers were curious to see whether rhinitis–irritation or inflammation of the nasal membranes– was anyway related to migraine headaches. They analyzed data from the 2008 American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study, which included nearly 6,000 respondents.

• Two out of three people with migraine reported suffering from rhinitis, also known as nasal allergies, seasonal allergies, or hay fever.
• Migraine sufferers with rhinitis had a 33% greater risk of suffering from frequent headaches.
• People with “mixed rhinitis”– whose nasal symptoms were triggered by both allergic and non-allergic triggers– were 45% more likely to suffer from frequent headaches and 60% more likely to have more disabling headaches than those without rhinitis. (Allergic triggers included cats, dogs, mold, or tree pollen while non-allergic included cigarette smoke, weather changes, perfumes, and gasoline.)

“The nose has largely been ignored as an important site involved in the initiation and exacerbation of migraine headache,” said coauthor Richard Lipton, MD, in a press release. “Rhinitis exacerbates migraine, as these results suggest, treating rhinitis may provide an important approach to relieving headache in people with both disorders.”

Many chiropractors can assist patients in the natural management of both migraine headache and allergies. Getting adequate treatment for both conditions may be crucial for reducing the frequency of migraine headache.

References
Martin, VT. Chronic rhinitis and its association with headache frequency and disability in persons with migraine: Results of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study. Cephalalgia 2013; 10.1177/0333102413512031.

Written by: Marissa Luck on December 4, 2013.on December 3, 2013.

Good article with research from right here in Cincinnati the allergy capital of the Midwest.  One problem I see is that the focus of allergy and allergic response is a bit narrow.  Just because it is April or September and your eyes, ears, nose, etc. are driving you insane doesn't necessarily mean you are suffering from a seasonal allergy. 
Many are battling food sensitivities while others are dealing with systemic yeast infections or dysbiosis of the colon.  Still others have hypochlorhidrian related to dietary inadequacies.  The seasonal change along with the mold and pollen that comes with it compounds the ongoing inflammation in the body causing the spike in symptoms and in some migraines.

The possibilities are endless to the cause of inflammation in the body.  Until we figure out what is irritating our body we are no different than a dog chasing his tail. 


If you are suffering headaches with no relief in sight, give us a call, we can help.  


David Marcon, DC, CCSP
463 Ohio Pike, Suite 104
Cincinnati, Ohio 45255
(513) 474-1111
drdave@marconchiropractic.com