If you are suffering from chronic headaches or migraines, you do not need convincing that they are one of the most painful and debilitating conditions you could possibly endure. Millions upon millions of dollars a year are spent on trying to find relief from this crippling illness. But what causes migraines?

headaches-and-migraines

Basically, it is a decrease in oxygen to the brain. If the brain receives less oxygen per millilitre of blood, it will simply increase the amount of blood flow to increase the overall amount of oxygen received. In order to increase the amount of blood flow it must dilate the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. When these vessels dilate, it stretches pain fibres that wrap around the outside of these vessels. When these pain fibres are stretched they are activated and start sending pain signals to the brain, resulting in your perception of pain.

A headache is one of the most common illnesses in Australia, with around 15 percent of the population taking painkillers for a headache at any given time. Because headaches are so common, most people think they are part and parcel of normal life. However, a persistent headache is a sign that something is wrong. The continual use of pain medication to combat headaches is akin to removing the warning light that alerts you to a problem in your car.

Migraines and headaches may also be caused by a misalignment or dysfunction of a vertebra in the top of the neck. This then causes inflammation and tension of the joints, muscles and blood vessels at the base of the neck, which then transfers pain up into the skull.

So what can chiropractic do to help? By performing gentle but specific adjustments to the neck and upper back, we restore the normal alignment and function of the vertebrae in the neck, which removes the tension that causes headache and migraine symptoms. As well as removing the tension, the inflammation around the joints, muscles and blood vessels is decreased and the pain fibres begin to be deactivated.

177 volunteers who had been suffering headache and migraine for over 18 years entered a study. All of those who received chiropractic care were able to reduce their medication intake, with a significant number reducing their intake to zero. Additionally, 59% reported no headache after 2 months, and another 35% had a significant decrease in headaches.

This is not the only study to show these results; there have been dozens more which all show similar outcomes. There are other factors that contribute to headaches, and chiropractors’ experiences show that neck problems are a huge contributor.

Safe and Natural Way for Headache and Migraine Relief

If you are looking for a safe and natural way to reduce or eliminate headaches, including migraines, then chiropractic treatment may be right for you. The successful approach employed by experienced practitioners at Carnegie Chiropractic in Carnegie avoids the use of medication and focuses on helping your body to heal itself.

Why should you endure the harmful effects of strong medication or the risk of dependence when a therapeutic chiropractic adjustment, healthy diet, and adequate sleep could help you heal naturally?

Migraine headaches can be triggered by some items in your diet (like caffeine) or your lifestyle (sudden weight loss, stress, or lack of sleep). On your initial consultation with Carnegie Chiropractic, we will ask you questions about your diet and sleep patterns, what triggers the attack, and get to know your symptoms. You will be offered highly personalised migraine therapy based on the detailed diagnosis of your condition.

Simple dietary adjustments, realignment of your neck and spine through various physical therapies, exercise and the introduction of appropriate vitamins may work. We have helped many individuals in Carnegie reduce or eliminate these painful headaches through our chiropractic migraine therapy. Clinical studies have deemed chiropractic migraine relief as an extremely effective and natural form of treatment that has no harmful side effects.

Do you suffer from headaches or migraines? The answer may be simple. Come in and see what we can do.