Do You Suffer From Migraine Headaches? Try These Tips Presented By Whittier Spine Center

If you’ve ever dealt with the pain of a migraine headache, then you know how debilitating it can be.  Your life is forced to stop and you can’t continue on with a normal day. Have you even missed a day of work or school because you were in so much agony, the only thing you could do was pop some pain medication and stay in bed with a warm cloth over your forehead?  It can last for hours, even days, can come and go, or even develop into a chronic condition.

Sadly, many people are far too familiar with this pain, suffering so terribly from chronic migraines that they may not even be able to hold down a full-time job.  Not surprisingly, migraine sufferers endure depression and anxiety at twice the rate of the general population.

Migraines occur in phases, unlike other headaches with the painful phase almost always combined with other bodily symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and sound.

While researchers haven’t been able to pinpoint all the causes of migraines, they have been able to link them to many lifestyle, nutritional, and biochemical factors including stress, lack of sleep, changes in weather, chemicals, medications, alcohol, certain foods, liver problems, rapid change in hormone levels, and medical conditions like depression and hyptertension.

While the traditional medical treatment for migraines are prescription and over-the-counter drugs, these aren’t enough for all patients and can cause uncomfortable side effects.  So what else can you do to combat the pain of migraine headaches?  We suggest the following:

Dietary Changes

Meat, cheese, caffeine, nuts, wheat products, and citrus fruits have been found to trigger migraines.  Eliminate these foods from your diet and it may help.  Migraine patients may not have enough magnesium in their bodies so try increasing your intake of this mineral since it can help decrease the damage caused by stress, which as we mentioned before can be a trigger.  You can also increase your intake of antioxidants, which stop the development of free radicals caused by oxidative stress.

Behavior Therapy

Psychological counseling may teach patients strategies to help cope with their headaches as well as how to identify possible triggers and signs of an oncoming migraine.  Behavior therapy can also teach relaxation techniques and exercises for stretching the neck.

Chiropractic

Chiropractic adjustments have long been a tool for helping reduce and even eliminate migraine headaches.  Some patients acheive significant migraine relief with just a single adjustment, but most require several sessions to get the maximum benefit.  If you or a loved one suffer from migraine headaches, speak with your chiropractor about treatment options.

While pain medications can help mask the pain, they do not aid in preventative treatment, so try these options and let us know how if you have any success with these alternatives.  We think you will!

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