LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Headache, Migraine and Seizure Cures

5 Chiropractic Tips to Help with Your Headache

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Headache Chiropractor

Everyone knows how a headache can create a drastic change in our overall health. While we are having this terrible pain for hours and hours, we become completely dependent on painkillers without thinking about the side effects. Our whole body feels tired and we just want to lie down in bed, shutting out everything!

Take a look at 5 amazing chiropractic tips to help with your headache:

  1. Have a drink:

It is found that many headaches are not caused by stress or fatigue; rather, they occur due to dehydration. As per Dr. Howard LeWine from the renowned Harvard Health publications, if you have pain in the front part of your forehead, or on one/ both sides of your head, dehydration is probably the main cause. Decreased urine output and urine that is dark in color are other signs that your headache may actually be a symptom of dehydration.

So next time, try drinking some water or any kind of drink to hydrate yourself rather reaching for a painkiller.

  1. Exercise and stretch:

Sometimes a headache can occur because of muscle soreness or for being in the same posture for a long time. By stretching your back and shoulder you can reduce your headache. Again, due to the lack of oxygen in your body, a headache might occur. For that, doing different low impact exercises can aid you.

  1. Essential oils:

Using essential oils is a highly effective way to get rid of a headache. Peppermint and lavender oil have been proven to provide relief for headaches.  Rub it on your temples, forehead, and even your wrist to get rid of a headache.

  1. Get a massage:

A full body massage can not only get rid of your headache, but can also soothe your whole body. Even if you don’t have time for a whole body massage, you can use massaging techniques to alleviate your headache. A gentle massage technique can be applied to the forehead, neck and temples, to help reduce the headache pain.

  1. Having ginger:

Recent studies have found that ginger can help to soothe a headache. Cut three slices of ginger and simmer them in hot water for 3 minutes and then drink it. You could also have some hot tea with ginger, which will lessen the headache inflammation and also settle your stomach.

Conclusion

These chiropractic tips can not only help you with your headache but also help you with your  immune system. Natural ways of treating headaches are the best way, because that means no side effects. Using these tips, you don’t need to purchase any painkillers. If these headaches occur frequently, you should contact a headache chiropractor Mesa, AZ trusts for help.

Contact LifeCare Chiropractic for more information about chiropractic care and help for headaches.

Sleep Hormones and Migraines – Headache Doctor Mesa AZ

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SLEEP HORMONE GOOD FOR MIGRAINES?  I have to admit, when I first glanced at this article and saw in the conclusion that melatonin did not reduce migraine frequency, I was ready to move on.  After all, we see in pharmaceutical studies that, all too often, what they report in the conclusions are overblown from the actual benefit we actually see in the study–so if the conclusions aren’t good, certainly the rest of the data’s got to be horrendous.  But…actually reading the abstract tells you that 2 mg melatonin before bed (about $10 worth of melatonin) had 1/3 less migraine attacks during the month (almost 1.5 less headaches per month down from 4.2 per month).  Any migraine sufferer will tell you that having one less headache per month for $10 is money very well spent.  Compare this with a study done in 2007 on Topamax for migraines ($600 / month), that resulted in 1.5 less headaches in 3 MONTHS, yet the conclusion was that Topamax is safe (82% of study participants experienced side effects) and efficacious for migraines.  Talk about perspective!  In this recent study, there was little difference between placebo and melatonin (both were effective).  So, same effects, one with massive levels of side effects and costing $600 / month, the other with little side effects at $10 / month.  You choose…

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Migraine Doctor Mesa AZ Residents Trust

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MIGRAINE SUFFERERS BEWARE NEW PREVENTATIVE APPROACH.  You’ve all read me ranting and raving about how we are completely missing the boat on treatment of migraines.  That migraineuers have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke because the problem is NOT in the brain, but it is in the body.  It is the body screaming that something is wrong and sufferers bodies are using the brain to get the owner’s attention.  Lifestyle needs to be fixed.  Getting out processed foods, increasing intake of healthier fats, exercise, avoidance of as many chemicals as possible, stress management.  This is the approach that is required.  It’s NOT optional!  If this approach is not taken, the migraine patient is going to die an early death.  It’s that serious.  The problem is that mainstream medicine still thinks treatment “success” is gauged by getting rid of the headache via medication.  Now it’s getting worse.  Beta blockers are well known to increase the risk of stroke and diabetes, so we’re just going to try to use them as “prevention” in patients suffering with migraines.  UGH! Read More…

Mesa AZ Headache Doctor

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Migraine Headaches and Blood Vessel Problems:

VERY EARLY ON, PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINES HAVE THIS PROBLEM

Ok, so this is not the first time I’ve rambled on about the fact that migraines are really a sign of things being wrong with the entire body, and if all we do is use drugs to suppress the headaches, we’ve done nothing at all for the patient except NOT help them make the right changes.  In this particular study, researchers found alterations in the function of the blood vessels in young female patients with migraines.  This is further indication that the problem with migraine is actually NOT in the head, but may revolve around the cardiovascular system.  Problem…not a single drug used to treat migraine helps the cardiovascular system..

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And don’t forget to check out the full Migraines and Epilepsy website by clicking here.

My Biggest Frustration with Migraines

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chronic migraines as a progressive brain disorder
Chronic migraines as a progressive brain disorder

I have dedicated a significant amount of time to migraines.  From treatment in my office to hundreds of review articles of medical studies to publishing a book on Migraines And Epilepsy, I consider myself quite educated on the topic.

While there have been a few exceptions in my office (literally less than a handful over the past 18+ years), if patients are willing to make the changes I recommend, they get better.  My recommendations range from a course of treatment in the office to exercise to managing stress to major lifestyle overhauls.  If patients are willing to make these changes, I can almost guarantee that migraines will be history.

Why?  How can patients get better with my recommendations versus the neurologist that they’ve been seeing for years and practice out of a very well-known hospital system?

Because the “why” is far more important to me than suppressing the symptoms of a migraine.  It is VERY rare that I have a chronic migraine patients come into my office that has been educated on the underlying cause of his or her migraine headaches.

But before I get into the secret of migraine headaches I need to make a very important distinction.

By the time patients make it into my office they have accumulated multiple types of headaches.  The two biggest classifications are structural and migrainous.  And I can say, with a high degree of confidence, that every migraine patient has aspects of both.

The structural headaches are related to the soft tissues (ligaments, tendons, muscles and fascia) and joints.  While my opinion is strongly biased, these types of headaches HAVE to be addressed by a chiropractor that understands and treats the soft tissues.  Adjusting alone, exercises alone, Botox alone (and yes-if someone responds to Botox it is because they have been improperly diagnosed with migraines instead of a structural headache) or soft tissue work alone is not going to completely fix the problem.

But, as I mentioned, it’s my bias based on almost 20 years of treatment migraine patients who have not responded elsewhere.

The true migraine headaches, however, do not respond well to good structural care.  This is because the true cause is not one that can be addressed from outside the body.

If you experience chronic migraine headaches and you really, really want to get rid of your headaches, you’re going to have to address the health of your blood vessels.

Period.

Anything less will not guarantee a fix for your headaches.  And medications?  Not a damn one of them will fix your blood vessels.  Some will actually make it worse.  And even if medications control your headaches, they have not fixed the problem.

Poor blood vessel health, endothelial dysfunction, vascular dysfunction.  It goes by different names depending upon who you are speaking to, but they all mean the same thing.

The blood vessels of a true migraine patient have lost the ability to respond appropriate to changes in demand for blood supply.  This system—where the blood vessels open and constrict based on how much oxygen the tissues need—is an incredibly dynamic process, with changes occurring by the second.  If your blood vessel is no longer able to respond to needs of your brain cells your brain cells are not going to be happy with you and can trigger a migraine.

THIS is the key to understanding your migraines.  THIS is the key to lifestyle changes that will help your chronic migraine headaches.

I have certainly spent time on migraine message boards and there are a lot of headache patients who get pissed off at my suggestion that headaches can be fixed.  These patients, however, have not achieved ideal body weight.  They are stressing too much.  They are not eating the right foods (even if he or she thinks his or her diet is ideal).  They are not exercising.  They are smokers.

I would suggest that, as much as it may be offensive to some, patients with true migraine headaches have not made the correct choices for his or her blood vessels and brain.

The details of these changes are beyond the scope of this article, but are outlined very readily in my book Migraines and Epilepsy that can be purchased by clicking here.

While many migraine sufferers care about getting rid of or controlling headaches, there is a bigger problem looming.  Poor blood vessel health has everything to do with risk of heart attack or stroke in the future.  This is absolutely, unquestionable solidly demonstrated in medical research study after research study.

Most of these research studies, however, have focused on migraine with aura.  Most of the studies that have linked future risk of heart disease or stroke have been on migraine with aura.  This particular study is yet another one in the long list of studies linking heart disease risk and migraines, except this one covered ALL migraines, not just those with aura.  Here’s the details on this large study of 17,531 women with migraines who were followed up for 20 years:

  • Migraine was associated with a 50% higher risk for major cardiovascular disease.
  • They had a 39% higher risk of a heart attack.
  • There was a 62% higher risk of having suffered a stroke.’
  • Sufferers had a 74% higher risk of having chest pain or having had a coronary angiogram.
  • Furthermore, migraines were linked to a 37% higher risk of dying from heart disease.

The relationship is so strong that, in a linked editorial, the suggestion is that migraine should be viewed as a risk factor for heart disease just like high blood pressure and cholesterol.  This is a strong statement and one that is not entertained by the average treating neurologist or primary care doctor.

It also reinforces my concern that the vast majority of true migraine patients are not getting the education needed to understand and improve the condition.  Chronic migraine sufferers HAVE to address the underlying dysfunction of the blood vessels through lifestyle changes geared towards protecting the heart.  This include diet, stress management, exercise and focus on reducing exposure to environmental chemicals that damage the heart and blood vessels.

Anything less is only a band-aid.

Should All Patients with a Migraine See a Chiropractor in Mesa?

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Ok..given my bias everyone probably knows my answer here when it comes to chiropractic in Mesa.
It never ceases to amaze me when a patient has had headaches for years or even decades that have never been to a chiropractor.  Given the evidence, it really should be considered malpractice (lack of informed consent) for a neurologist to NOT refer to a doctor of chiropractic for an evaluation of any headache patient.
And yet the referral to a chiropractor who specializes in soft tissue treatment of the neck almost never happens.  It is the migraine sufferer that loses out.
Just how common is neck pain in migraine headache sufferers?  This particular article looks at this question in 113 migraineurs, who had headache frequencies ranging from episodic to chronic migraine.  These headaches sufferers were examined by headache medicine specialists to confirm the diagnosis of migraine and rule out both cervicogenic headache and fibromyalgia.
For each attack over the next few months, sufferers recorded the whether nausea was present as well as the intensity of headache and neck pain (graded as none, mild, moderate, or severe).  Here’s what they found:
  • There were 2411 headache days, 786 of which were migraines.
  • The majority of migraines were in the moderate pain stage.
  • Regardless of the intensity of headache pain, neck pain was a more frequently present than was nausea.
  • Those diagnosed with chronic daily headache were more likely to have neck pain.

So what does this mean?  From a standard migraine approach, this means that, although the presence of nausea is a characteristic of a migraine headache, neck pain (which is not a characteristic) is actually more common.

From my standpoint of almost 20 years of treating migraine patients, we have totally, absolutely missed the ball.  Since most headache specialist do not touch the patient and wouldn’t even know how to treat problems in the neck is he or she found them, these patients are mis-diagnosed.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had patients come in with a diagnosis of “migraine” only to have the headaches go away with soft tissue treatment of the neck structures combined with manipulation.  These were NOT migraines.  Migraines generally do not respond as well to manual therapies, but most often need a lifestyle overhaul to manage the headaches.

The bottom line?  Neck pain is strongly associated with headaches.  If you have headaches, it is absolutely essential for you to find a chiropractor competent in soft tissue treatment to see if this will help.

Do Migraines Increase Your Risk of Dying?

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Let me clarify this once more.  Those experiencing migraines have something wrong with their physiology that just so happens to manifest as headaches.

The headaches are the downstream consequence of the problem, and are NOT the problem itself.  So to fix the problem, you need to look upstream and fix what is wrong.  If you experience migraines and your doctor has NOT talked to you about the absolute need to change your lifestyle, you should find a new doctor.  Period.

Just in case you think this is a strong statement, pay attention to this particular study.  In it, researchers looked at 18,725 men and women to see if migraine sufferers had a higher risk of dying from any cause (all-cause mortality).  Here’s what they found:

  • People with migraine with aura had a 21% higher risk of dying from any cause.
  • People with migraine with aura had a 27% higher risk of dying from heart disease.
  • People with migraine with aura had a 40% higher risk of dying from a stroke.

This is a pretty strong concern.  And let me clarify again that taking medications to control your headaches (even if they work) will do NOTHING to alter your risk of these conditions because they haven’t actually fixed the problem.

Seizures and THIS B Vitamin; Could it be the Key?

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Natural remedies for seizures
Vitamin B6 and your seizures

It is not in my nature to promote a one cause/one cure mentality. But sometimes certain approaches are so important that they need to be mentioned separately.

This goes for many conditions from diabetes to Alzheimer’s dementia. And certainly over the years I have pointed out research on single approaches that have been proven to help with migraines and seiuzres.

Some approaches, like exercise or the Ketogenic diet, require more much commitment from you. Some, on the other hand, are as simple as a daily supplement. Magnesium, melatonin, fish oils and vitamin D are some examples of interventions that have been demonstrated in medical research to help with seizures and chronic migraine headaches.

Some of these supplements work directly. Fish oils improve the health of the brain cell membrane, ensuring that messages get transmitted appropriately. Magnesium is essential for brain cell to generate energy (in the form of ATP) to function.

This particular article reviews a simple single-nutrient approach that works differently. Pyridoxine is the fancy name for vitamin B6. You may also hear it referred to as P-5-P, or pyridoxine-5-phosphate (the activated form, which skips the need for the liver to activate the B6 molecule).

Pyridoxine plays many roles in the human body, but there are a few functions that rise to the top. Especially when it comes to seizures and chronic migraine headaches.

But before we get into these important functions of vitamin B6, we need to have a brief primer on two different neurotransmitters in the brain:

  1. Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) is an inhibitory transmitter in the brain. It calms things down. Applies the brakes to an overactive brain. Think Ativan, benzodiazepines, alcohol, phenobarb .
  2. Glutamate is the opposite. It is stimulatory and puts your brain cells into overdrive. There are drugs that block the action of glutamate like Ketamine that are used for seizures. MSG will also activate this pathway and this is why so many patients are sensitive to processed foods.

Based on this, it would seem that anything that could increase GABA and decrease glutamate would be a really good thing.

Yeah—you guessed it. Vitamin B6 plays a role in both of these actions.

Which brings us back to the study. Researchers discovered low blood levels of pyridoxine in an 8-year old girl with superrefractory status epilepticus (the worst-case scenario; seizures that continue to occur for 24 hours or more after initiation of heavy-duty anti-seizure drugs). Restoring her pyridoxine levels improved her brain function as demonstrated by EEG. This led the doctors to look at vitamin B6 levels in 81 adults admitted to the neurological ICU with status epilepticus. We reviewed the records on patients admitted to the neurological ICU for status epilepticus (SE). Here’s what they found when these patients were compared to a group of epileptic patients in the outpatient clicic:

  • All but six patients admitted to the neuro ICU had low normal or undetectable pyridoxine levels.
  • This translated to 94% of patients with status epilepticus have vitamin B6 levels in the low to undetectable range (compared to 39.4% in the outpatients).
  • However, supplementing with B6 did not lead to an immediate resolution of the status epilepticus.

So what does this mean? It would make sense that vitamin B6 plays an important role in keeping neurotransmitter balance away from seizures and towards a calm brain.  But it would also makes sense that, once the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, that something as simple as vitamin B6 will not be strong enough to stop the wave of seizures that makes up status epilepticus.

This would put vitamin B6 on the list of must-haves for any person with epilepsy (and likely chronic migraines headaches as well). A good quality multivitamin (not your cheap “one per day” type of vitamin) should provide you with what you need.