Are Migraines restricting your life ?
It has been found through a survey that around 15 people out of a group of 100 people in the UK suffer from a Migraine attack on a monthly basis. It is estimated that Migraine impacts more than 8.5 million individuals across UK.
These attacks are so crippling that the person experiencing them needs to stop all activities for at least a day. Migraine is a recurring problem which usually lasts lifelong. It is more frequent in women than in men. Migraines generally begins during puberty and its intensity is maximum between the age of 35 to 45 years.
"Migraine is an inherited tendency to have headaches with sensory disturbance. It’s an instability in the way the brain deals with incoming sensory information, and that instability can become influenced by physiological changes like sleep, exercise and hunger and stress.
- Professor Peter Goadsby, Professor of Neurology, King’s College London; Director, NIHR-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, King’s College Hospital London; Trustee of The Migraine Trust.
Migraine falls under the category of primary headache disorder in which one side of the head starts pulsating with pain. The intensity of the head pain ranges from moderate to severe. Often they are accompanied by tingling or numbness by heThe headache can last from anywhere between two hours to seventy two hours.
There are mainly three different types of migraines:
The first type in which Aura accompanies Migraine, leads to blurred vision and tingling sensations an hour before the Migraine attack.In the second type of Migraine, there is no such indication which acts as a precursor to the attack. The headache starts without warning.The third type occurs in older people. Eyes get blurred but without an actual headache, sometimes known as a retinal migraine that can often feel like an ice pick.
The symptoms keep on changing according to the stage of migraine.
1. Restlessness
2. Depression and crankiness
3. Thirst or Hunger
4. Tingling numbness
1. Blurriness
2. Flashing lights, spots in front of eyes
3. Numbness in limbs
4. Loss of vision
5. Uncontrollable jerking
1. Severe pulsating pain on one side of the head
2. Nausea
3. Sensitivity to noise and light
4. Pain behind the eyes
1. Fatigue
2. Muscle pain
1. Stiffness in the neck
2. Constipation
3. Lightheadedness
4. Speaking difficulty
5. Dizziness
There are multiple causes of Migraine, environmental as well as genetic.
The debilitating effect of migraines can be combatted to a large extent with some natural solutions:
Our approach at Life Balance is first finding out the cause of your migraine headaches and then if they stem from the neck we can help. Life Balance Chiropractic is highly effective in the treatment of migraines. According to a recent study, individuals receiving Chiropractic care experienced a 90% scaling down in Migraine attacks. Yet another report showed that Chiropractic care brought about immediate relief in Migraine headaches which had their origin in the neck. Migraines are treated by Chiropractors by correcting vertebral subluxations (misalignments) through Chiropractic adjustments.
A 32-year old woman suffered from chronic migraines which were accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light. The Migraine attacks generally took place during menstruation. She experienced a moderate pain on the right side of the head and an aura before the attack. “ I was a suffering from Chronic Migraines before I approached Life Balance Chiropractic. The Chiropractor assessed my condition and asked me about the symptoms experienced during an attack and how it was effecting my life. I was informed that the cause of Migraine was stress and subluxations in the neck. I started chiropractic care a few times a week I started noticing changes almost instantly. First it was the frequency that went down from daily to 5 x a week then the intensity went down and how long they lasted for. By 2 months I had not had a single Migraine and I have gotten Julia back. My spine was moved and aligned. During this period, the frequency of the attacks lessened along with the intensity of pain. I could not believe that Chiropractic could relieve the pain which even medications could not control. I still go to Life Balance Chiropractic for regular checkups to keep those Migraines at bay and because it makes me feel like me again!
Some simple exercises which can be done at home as well to reduce the number of episodes. For this, you need to follow these tips:
P.S. If you’re experiencing migraine symptoms or your currently looking how to get rid of a headaches and your migraines are keeping you up at night, stopping you working or restricting your life and doing what you love click here to download my free migraine treatment tips guide which includes actionable tips I give to my clients at the Life Balance Chiropractic. Click below to get your free copy:
7 Most Mistakes People Make When Choosing A Chiropractor
Larry Swanson Massage Therapist Emeritus