Taking Control of Your Health – The Stern Chiropractic Newsletter

HEADACHES

Referral Corner:
The Greatest Compliment my Patients Can Give is the Referral of Their Friends and Loved Ones. Thank You For Your Trust. This month, I would like to thank the following people for their trust: Susan Dubin.

Charity Corner:
Stern Chiropractic is collecting non-perishable food for the Vernon Township Food Pantry as well as collecting money for The Lake County Meals on Wheels. A matching contribution up to $500 will be made by Stern Chiropractic. Please join me in helping those needier then ourselves.

Topic of the Month : HEADACHES

This month I will talk about some of the more common types of headaches, how to recognize what type of headache you are having, natural ways of alleviating your headaches and ways you can decrease the frequency and intensity of these headaches.

Common Types of Headaches

Tension Headaches

Migraine Headaches

Cervicogenic Headaches

Tension Headaches

– 90% of all Headaches

– Pain is Constant

– Feels like Head in a vice

– Gets worse over the day

– Feeling of scalp tightness & tightness in upper back of neck

Triggers: Stress & not eating

Treatment: Chiropractic Care, Acupuncture, Relaxation Therapy, Soft Tissue, Proper Nutrition & Exercise.

Botanicals: Chamomile Tea, Kava & Valerian Root.

– The treatment is designed to normalize the nervous system, reduce/manage stress, enhance relaxation and reduce muscle tension.

Migraine Headaches

Pain: Severe, periodic, 1 sided, THROBBING

Onset: Childhood through early adulthood.

– Headaches decrease in frequency with increased age due to decreased hormone levels.

Classic Migraine – (10% of all migraines)

– Usually have an aura

– Aura is commonly a visual disturbance.

– Aura is due to constriction of the small blood vessels in the head and then the pain is due to a dilation of these same blood vessels.

– Aura is followed in 20-30 minutes by one sided head-ache (occasionally bilateral)

– May be accompanied by nausea and vomiting

– Lasts hours – days

– Frequently there is a family history of migraines

Common Migraine – No Aura (90% of all migraines)

– One sided or generalized headache with no warning

– With or without nausea & vomiting

– Lasts hours – days

– Family history not frequently seen

Both Types:

– Sensitivity to light and noise

– Are more commonly found in females – some association with menstrual cycle.

Diet (Problem Foods): Aged cheese, chocolate, fatty foods, foods with Nitrates (hot dogs, lunch meats), and red wine.

Triggers: hunger, low blood sugar, loud noise, upper respiratory tract infections, bright lights, head trauma, certain foods, and rapid changes in barometric pressure.

Treatment: Chiropractic Care, Acupuncture, Contrast Therapy (hot/cold), Diet

Supplements: Feverfew, Vitamin E in large doses, Essential Fatty Acids

– Purpose of treatment is to normalize and stabilize the autonomic nervous system. This will decrease the volatility of the nerve supply to the small blood vessels. Diet and supplementation will decrease the pain at its source.

Cervicogenic Headaches

– Chronic nerve-root irritation caused by instability in neck

Causes: Trauma, congenital, repetitive head and neck motion over time.

Symptoms: Headache and possibly pain, tingling, numbness and/or weakness in upper body & arms.

Treatment: Chiropractic Care, Acupuncture, Rehab exercise, and Correction of Posture

– Purpose of treatment is to restore normal function to the joints and muscles of the neck and reduce further degeneration via maintenance care and exercise.

NOTE: A Duke University report demonstrates substantial evidence supporting chiropractic management of patients with cervicogenic and tension-type headaches. The report states that chiropractic manipulation produces more sustained reduction in frequency and severity of headaches than various other physical and soft-tissue procedures and produces markedly superior long-term results in comparison with standard pharmacological treatments.

WARNING: If there is a change in the pattern of your headaches i.e. they have progressed from rare to frequent or mild to severe or it is “The Worst Headache you have ever had” get check out immediately. These could be signs of something much more severe.

Products of the Month : Kava-55 & Therapeutica Pillow

Kava is a wonderful herb that can be very useful if you are suffering from tension headaches. Kava has been demonstrated to produce physical and mental relaxation and feelings of well being, without causing addiction or harmful side effects.

The Therapeutica Sleeping Pillow is a specially designed orthopedic pillow that provides therapy while you sleep through maintenance of correct spinal alignment. This pillow is endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association and is specially designed to help maintain and enhance the natural contour and alignment of the neck when sleeping on your back and to maintain proper spinal alignment when sleeping on your side (If you sleep on your stomach, STOP IT).

I hope this information helps you take control of your health and your life! If you have any questions, feedback or have any suggestions for future topics, please call or email me.

If you know someone who would be interested in receiving this newsletter, if you would like to receive this newsletter via email, or if you would prefer to no longer receive this newsletter, please let me know.

Don’t forget the importance of maintaining your health with regular chiropractic and acupuncture care.

Sincerely,

Gregg Stern, D.C., FICPA