The vast majority of Americans will suffer a headache sometime in their lives, and nearly a quarter of Americans will suffer from a migraine headache. These migraine episodes can rob a person of hours or even days of life, even causing them nausea and neck pain in the process. While the most common treatment for headaches is to pop a painkiller, that only masks the pain without addressing the root cause of the headaches. At Atlantic Chiropractic and Rehabilitation, our goal is to help patients by discovering what causes the headaches so they stay away naturally.Our Chesapeake Chiropractors Help Treat Pain from Migraine Headaches
Our Chesapeake chiropractors have helped many patients overcome their headaches and the attendant neck pain through skilled chiropractic care. We recommend that migraine headache sufferers try to avoid the following triggers:
Sleep Deprivation—Keeping a steady sleep schedule can help reduce the incidence of headaches. This enables the body and mind to heal and recuperate in so many ways. It also helps reduce the next trigger, which is stress.
Stress—The physiological and hormonal changes caused by stress can affect the muscles supporting the spine to induce neck pain and trigger headaches. Give yourself time to de-stress and relax regularly to decrease the chances of headaches and migraines.
Food—Several chemicals found in processed foods are known to trigger migraines. Sufferers should avoid foods with MSG, aspartame, nitrates (in hot dogs, cold cuts, bacon, etc.) and tyramines (from aged cheeses, marinated or pickled foods and yeast). Also steer clear of alcoholic beverages and too much caffeine. Dehydration and skipping meals can also hurt. We recommend sticking to a more natural, organic diet and a regular meal schedule.
Avoiding these triggers can help lessen the severity and incidence of headaches and migraines. Coming in for a spinal exam may also help. Many migraine sufferers have spinal misalignments that contribute to their problems and have found that chiropractic adjustments have provided significant relief. Call us at 757-320-0900 for an appointment.
Do you suffer from headaches and migraines? What are your triggers?