by John Pispidikis

Created on: January 02, 2008   Last Updated: April 09, 2008

HEADACHES

Headaches are the NUMBER 1 health complaint in America, surpassing even the common cold according to a recent article in the Journal Alternative Medicine.

There are an estimated 50 MILLION chronic headache sufferers in the United States alone. Headaches generate 80 million doctor visits, 157 lost workdays, over 50 billion in medical bills, and 4 billion in over-the-counter medications each year.

Is there an alternative solution?

Before I give you the answer to that question, let's talk about types of headaches.

1. Migraines
2. Tension headaches
3. Trauma related headaches

These three types of headaches differ based on their symptoms and on what triggers them.

Migraines are usually accompanied by photophobia or a sensitivity to light. They are bounding in nature because they are vascular. They are less common then tension headaches. Migraines can also include muscle contraction, irritability, depression, numbness or sometimes even hallucinations. Symptoms may range in severity from minor discomfort to immobilizing agony and may last from minutes to days. These types of headaches are usually one sided, throbbing and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. The cause of migraine headaches are not known.

Tension headaches are the most common type of headache affecting more than 75% of all headache sufferers. Tension headaches usually appear suddenly and involve the whole head. It is also accompanied by stiffness and tightness in the back of the head and neck. The reason for this is due to malfunctioning spinal bones in the neck and upper back. It appears that there are many pain-sensitive structures in the neck - the joints, disc, and even the ligaments may be related. The cervical spine(neck) has a distinct and well discussed relationship with the head. Those irritated nerves in the neck lead to CERVICOGENIC headaches, which means, headaches that originate from the neck. This brings me to my earlier question whether there is an alternative solution to treatment of headaches.

Chiropractic is a method of removing spinal damage so your body may work better and heal itself. When spinal nerves and related tissues are stretched or irritated, they can produce headaches. Many people find relief and correction with chiropractic care.

Trauma-related headaches are usually accompanied by an automobile accident or other specific injury to the head. It is noteworthy to mention that whiplash and accident victims often report headache because of how the neck and upper back get stretched and torn once again irritating those nerves causing headaches. The average American living in a metropolitan area can expect to be involved in 7 to 8 accidents in their lifetime. Since injuries arising from auto accidents are physical in nature, they respond best to a physical form of treatment. It is for this reason that the majority of auto accident victims seek Chiropractic care, which includes gentle manipulation of the spine, as well as forms of muscular therapy.

In a study from the British Medical Journal, migraine suffers responded dramatically to Chiropractic manipulation.

Number of migraine episodes were reduced by 90%
Duration of migraine episodes were reduced by 38%
Use of medication reduced by 94%

In conclusion, I hope you found this informative and helpful in making choices with respect to your headache treatment. Suffering from headaches can affect the way you live your life. Don't let it affect yours.

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