Understanding Headache Treatment and Prevention
Red Wine Can Be A Deterant To Effective Headache Treatment
Headaches are more common in adults, although they can develop at any time in life. Approximately 4 out of 5 children have headaches at some point, but most are benign and self-resolving. In fact, many adults who suffer from headaches report having the first headache in childhood.
Headache symptoms usually begin gradually. In fact, the sudden onset of severe headache may signify a serious problem and requires immediate medical attention. Common headache is often described as achy, dull or throbbing pain. It typically begins at the base of the skull/upper part of the neck and may radiate into the eye(s), the temple, or other locations. Headaches may be felt on one or both sides of the head. Often loud noises or bright lights may make them worse. Some patients may become nauseated or experience odd smells, sounds, or sights before and during the headache attack.
How Is a Headache Evaluated?
Early diagnosis and treatment are important in identifying a serious underlying cause for your headache. In most cases, an in-depth history and physical examination can help determine if your symptoms are related to an easily treated problem, or if it is more serious.
Headache Diaries Are An Effective Part Of Overall Headache Treatment
Your doctor can use other tests that reproduce the symptoms of your headache to help develop a specific headache treatment management plan, or refer you to another health care provider. X-rays, laboratory tests and even advanced imaging studies like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be necessary.
Your doctor may ask you to complete a headache diary, recording:
day and time of the headache
headache location
what the headache feels like
what you were doing when the headache began
how long the headache lasts
what makes it feel better or worse
anything else you notice before, during, or after the attacks
Headache Treatment: What are the most common ways to treat headaches?
Headache treatment is cause-related. Doctors of chiropractic often treat patients with tension-type headaches and headaches caused by problems with the joints and muscles in the neck, as well. Joint manipulation and mobilization of the neck, along with stretching and strengthening exercises, have been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of this type of headache.
Headache Treatment: A Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure!
Strong Smells:
Strong smells, even nice ones, trigger migraine headaches in many people.
The most common culprits are paint, dust, perfume, and certain types of flowers. Being in a workplace environment with strong smells can be an obstacle to effective headache treatment.
Hair Accessories:
A tight ponytail may strain the connective tissue in the scalp, leading to a hairdo headache. If this is the cause of your headache, letting your hair down usually brings fast relief.
Cheese:
One of the most common migraine triggers is aged cheese, including blue cheese, brie, cheddar, feta, mozzarella, parmesan, and Swiss.
The culprit is a substance called tyramine, which forms when certain types of protein break down. The longer a food ages, the more tyramine it contains.
Poor Posture:
Common forms of poor posture include hunching your shoulders, using a chair with no lower-back support, staring at a monitor that is too low or too high, and cradling a phone between your ear and shoulder. Chronic poor posture is one of the most common complicating factors for effective headache treatment.
Processed Meats:
Processed meats, such as cold cuts, have two strikes against them. They often contain tyramine, as well as food additives called nitrates or nitrites. These additives appear to increase blood flow (think vascular headache trigger) to the brain in some people.
Red Wine Can Be A Deterant To Effective Headache Treatment
Red Wines:
Tyramine is also found in red wine and some liquors. Because alcohol increases blood flow to the brain (again -think vascular headache trigger) , the effects may be even more intense. Even slight to moderate consumption of red wines may decrease the effectiveness of your headache treatment.
Smoking:
Smoking is known to trigger headaches, both for the smoker and those exposed to secondhand smoke. Smoke contains nicotine, which causes blood vessels in the brain to narrow (vascular influence).
Giving up cigarettes or reducing exposure to secondhand smoke appears especially helpful to patients with cluster headaches.
Caffeine:
For the headache-prone, caffeine (once again vascular influence) fits firmly into the category of “can’t live with it, can’t live without it.” If you live “with it” error on the side of moderation. Try “half-caffeine” blends. If you go “without it” expect 3 to 7 days of intense withdrawal headaches.
Stress:
Stress is without a doubt public enemy #1 when it comes to headache triggers.
The Journal Headache reported stress was indeed the most common factor precipitating tension headaches, which are the most common of all headaches. Unmitigated stress is the number number complicating factor for headaches – making effective headache treatment much more difficult.
Skipping Meals:
Hunger headaches aren’t always obvious. If you skip a meal, your head could start to ache before you realize you’re hungry. The trouble is a dip in blood sugar.
Resist the temptation to cure a hunger headache with a candy bar. Sweets cause blood sugar to spike and then drop even lower.
Food Additives:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a list of over 3,000 chemicals that are added to the processed food supply. These compounds do various things to food: add color, stabilize, texturize, preserve, sweeten, thicken, add flavor, soften, emulsify and more. Some of these additives have never been tested for safety.
Paying close attention to your own personal headache triggers – and avoiding them at all cost – is perhaps the best headache
Can Whiplash Treatment From a Chiropractor Help Me Heal From My Injuries?
Whiplash is a term used to describe the pain which occurs following an injury to the ligaments, tendons or muscles in the neck. Joints, discs and nerves near the neck may also be injured. Also called cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) syndrome, whiplash is caused by a sudden jerking motion that results in the neck being forced beyond its normal range of motion.
Whiplash Treatment: Over 28 Million Accidents A Year Result In Whiplash
Making sense of your whiplash treatment begins by understanding your injuries. In many cases the most significant damage in the spine is to the spinal ligaments, the bands of tissue that hold the bones in the neck and back together.
When the ligaments are stretched or partially torn after a car accident, scar tissue begins to form within a week in the spine. This is why it is so important to start restoring movement in the spine as soon as possible after the crash.
Otherwise, excessive scar tissue can form and create further irritation to the nerves in the neck and back.
Chiropractic Care For Whiplash Treatment Video
The gentle whiplash treatment that you receive from a chiropractor involves carefully moving the joints in the spine to help the healing process. Research has also shown that chiropractic treatment stimulates nerves in the spine that block pain and decrease muscle spasm. This is why everything just seems to feel looser after a good adjustment!
Nervous about seeing a chiropractor for whiplash treatment?
If you’re nervous about seeing a chiropractor for whiplash treatment, don’t worry. When most people think of going to the chiropractor, they think of popping and twisting and are worried this will be very painful. Modern chiropractic treatment has come a long way, and there are adjusting techniques that gently help your joints move freely without any of the “snap, crackle, and pop”!
A skilled chiropractor will help get your stiff, achy joints moving again after your accident with whiplash treatment specifically prescribed for your injuries.
