HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES

Let’s talk headaches + migraines!

Chances are good that you, or someone you know, has headaches or migraines on a regular basis. We’ve heard from plenty of people that they have their “normal, everyday headaches” but that they “aren’t that bad” or are “not an issue”. While having headaches and migraines might, indeed, be common, they are certainly not a normal expression of health! How nice would it be for you (or somebody you know) to no longer be forced to deal with a daily headache!?

We look at headaches as a clue into how your body is adapting to stress – they are most often a red flag from your body that something is amiss… that it’s not working as it should! Most people get headaches when they are under more stress than they usually are. Whether that is stress in life, at work, from food ( such as eating too much sugar or food that doesn’t agree with your body), a lack of water, caffeine withdrawal, or any type of physical stress, it can compound and create a poor response – oftentimes a headache! When somebody experiences increased amounts of stressors and, therefore, frequent headaches, we know that instead of adapting to the stresses properly, their nervous system is mal-adapting and mal-functioning and their body is not thriving or working optimally!

A FULL expression of health means that your body should be able to adapt to the stress in your life, so if you have frequent aches, pains, or things wrong, we know that your nervous system is likely struggling to adapt to the demands being placed on it.

We know that your nervous system controls every other system in your body, so when your body is struggling to adapt in one area, it is probably also struggling to adapt in others. If you experience headaches, you quite possibly have other areas of your health that are negatively impacted: like sleep, digestion, anxiousness, and more! While that might initially instill some nervousness in your mind, don’t fear! The focus in our office when it comes to headaches (and everything else) is making sure that your nervous system can properly adapt to the stressors in your life! We do this through our specific nervous-system-focused chiropractic care. When we are adjusting our practice members, we are looking for interferences in their nervous system that are holding their bodies back from adapting properly to the things around them. When we find these areas, we can remove the interference with our gentle adjustments, thus allowing the nervous system to start adapting to stress more efficiently! Nervous-system-focused adjustments also address any tight muscles or bony misalignments that could be contributing to headaches: when the nervous system is adapting as it should, your body is able to take care of headaches naturally!

We believe that the first and most important step in combating headaches is to address the root cause of your headaches! Our favorite way to do this is through consistent chiropractic care! Regular care helps your body adapt to the physical, chemical, and emotional stresses that you deal with on a daily basis. Other ways we often suggest to relieve immediate symptoms are a hot or cold pack to the affected area, a nap, massage, essential oils as needed, and acupuncture!

It’s also important to make sure that you are limiting the stressors that might be causing the headaches in the first place:

•  Don’t rely on caffeine to get you through the day ☕

• Make sure you are drinking enough water every day 💦

• Get enough good quality sleep every night. 🛏️
  Having a consistent bedtime routine, turning off screens, and using blue light blockers can help!

• Fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods and be sure to avoid foods that you are sensitive to – these sensitivities are more likely to cause headaches! 🍲

• Limit emotional stress where you can

• Be conscious of your posture throughout the day, and keep your head up when you look at your phone!

So many of us have become used to dealing with a daily headache, but we don’t HAVE to! Remember, they may be common, but they should never be considered normal! Chiropractic can help!