วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 2 สิงหาคม พ.ศ. 2555

Migraines - Not Just Your Average Headache!

There's nothing quite so debilitating as a headache right in the middle of a day that should have been productive. Your kids are screaming or there's work to be done or you're trying to sleep, and out of nowhere the headache bus takes a wrong turn and collides with your head. While average headaches can slow you down a bit, migraine headaches can stop you in your tracks and knock you straight onto your back. Roughly 23 percent of the American population suffer from migraine headache. The statistics say that migraines have a slightly feminine predisposition. Women are three times as likely as men to experience the onset of headache. Migraine is most common in the thirty-five to forty-five age group.

So how are migraines different from your average, run of the mill headache? Migraine headache is usually characterized by pulsing or pounding in one side of the cranium. These headaches are caused by excessive dilation or widening of the blood vessels in the head. Roughly fifty percent of sufferers experience prodrome or symptoms that occur prior to the headache. Prodrome symptoms can include excessive fatigue or sleepiness, digestive issues, irritability, and cravings for particular foods.

Classic types of Migraine can be preempted by particular signs or symptoms referred to as auras. Auras may refer to visual changes such as blurriness or spotting, increased sensitivity to light, increased sensitivity to sound, increased sensitivity to smell, nausea, or vomiting. Classic migraines typically last from two to five hours, with the common migraine lasting between one and four days. Some migraine sufferers may even experience vaso-motor instability or inability to control body temperature. Vaso-motor instability is commonly seen in menopausal women in the form of hot flashes.

So how are migraines commonly treated? There are a number of different treatment interventions for migraine headache. Traditional allopathic medicine is fond of utilizing antidepressants (tri-cyclic), beta-blockers, and calcium-channel-blockers to decrease the incidence of headache. The problem with these types of pharmacological solutions is the host of side effects that are often encountered.

Because this article is being written by a chiropractor, we're going to focus on the more natural treatment options. First and foremost we want to look at the possibility of a food allergy. Citrus fruits, tyramine (commonly found in aged, smoked or pickled foods), gluten, dairy products such as eggs, milk and cheeses, chocolate, beer (brewers yeast), and wine are common triggers for migraine headache. Diet diaries and elimination diets are commonly used to evaluate the possibility or presence of a food allergy trigger. Environmental toxins can also play a role in the incidence of onset. Harsh cleaning chemicals and cigarette smoke have been indicated in migraine pathology.

Migraine sufferers often experience increased blood platelet aggregation. Platelet aggregation can impede the blood flow in and around the brain. In addition to decreasing blood flow, the clumping of platelets stimulates the release of seratonin. Seratonin can affect the dilation and constriction of blood vessels, triggering a migraine headache. Low seratonin levels are also correlated with reduced pain tolerance. Utilizing fish oil, garlic and ginger can help to inhibit platelet aggregation. Furthermore 5-Hydroxy-Tryptophan supplementation can help to elevate seratonin levels and reduce the incidence of migraine headache. Feverfew, a B-complex and magnesium supplementation have also proven to be beneficial for those individuals suffering from chronic migraine headache.

Decreasing the intake of animal fats in the diet can also help decrease the flare up of migraines. Animal fats contain arachidonic acid, an inflammatory intermediate and vasodilator. For more information on the treatment of migraine headache, simply contact your local chiropractor.

La Jolla Chiropractor
San Diego chiropractor
Chiropractor 92037 92036 92038
Neck Pain
Low back pain
Also see: http://www.sandiegospinedoc.com/


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