Chiropractic & Migraine Headaches
Headaches pester and annoy tens of millions of people every day. Migraine sufferers experience the most excruciating pain and discomfort imaginable. Millions of these attacks impact people with severe headaches that last for hours or days accompanied by nausea, vomiting, flashes of light, blind spots, tingling in the arms and legs, and sensitivity to light and sound. More than 90% of migraine sufferers cannot work or function normally during an episode.
The Migraine Research Foundation details the following statistics: • Migraines create the third most prevalent illness in the world. • Nearly one in four U.S. households includes someone suffering from migraines. • 18% of American women, 6% of men, and 10% of children experience migraines. • 85% of migraines impact women • Healthcare and lost productivity costs associated with migraines reach as high as $36 billion/year in the United States. • Healthcare costs 70% more for families with migraines sufferers • Migraines exist in children as young as 18 months. Infant colic was found to be associated with childhood migraine and may even be an early form of migraine. • Migraines tend to be biological. Approximately 90% of migraine sufferers have a family history of migraines. A child with one parent suffering migraines has a 50% chance of inheriting the affliction and a 75% chance if both parents experience migraines.
Drug-free solutions that honor the body prove to be a true remedy for such a powerful ailment. More and more people turn to Chiropractic as a non-medicinal solution with benefits that include focusing on healing the body rather than simply medicating the symptoms. Research published in 2015 revealed that manual care for the spine proved to be a superior solution for migraines compared to treatments only utilizing medication. Medical doctors quickly prescribe drugs for migraine sufferers without awareness or exploration of the published research revealing other safer and more effective solutions.
The 2015 research showed that subjects receiving upper cervical manual care reduced their drug consumption by 80% while migraine days reduced by 97%. Pain and functional disability associated with migraines resolved by nearly 100%. Manual care reduced the quality of migraine pain better than both drugs and other unproven treatments while measurably improving quality of life for migraine sufferers.
Extensive dangers and side effects that accompany migraine medications demand attention and alternate solutions. Adults and children alike deserve a better option than a medicinal solution that creates more problematic conditions. Spinal adjustments given by Chiropractors reduce interference in the nervous system by improving vertebral alignment and movement. Spinal adjustments initiate changes in the brain and nervous system that result in greater function and less stress. Less stress in the nervous system correlates with less migraine episodes and reduced pain severity. The search for drugless solutions to migraines begins with the benefits of Chiropractic care.
Complementary Therapies in Medicine April 2015;(2):149-56 Epub January 21 2015
“Clinical effectiveness of osteopathic treatment in chronic migraine: 3-Armed randomized controlled trial.” F Cerritelli, L Ginevri, G Messi, E Caprari, M Di Vincenzo, C Renzetti, V Cozzolino, G Barlafante, N Foschi, L Provinciali