As a routine part of the history taking process with my patients I ask: “Do you get headaches?” I frequently get this response: ”Only the normal ones.” To this I ask, “What is a ‘normal’ headache?” Maybe it is normal to not have a headache at all.
And then, there are those who feel that the cause of their headache must be lack of ibuprofen, since the headache is held at bay when two ibuprofen are consumed every six hours. The truth is, something causes headaches. The best way to ‘treat’ them is to remove the cause, not just mask the symptoms. There are lots of types of headaches, the ones I see the most are the classic tension headache and the infamous migraine. I have worked with headache patients as young as seven and as old as you can imagine.
So, I hope you are reading this because you want to know what you can do that does not include opening a pill bottle. Here is my short list. Allow me to add this disclaimer first: these are not for all cases and it is wise to consult with a doctor in person before trying any new protcols.
- Chiropractic: of course I have to put this on my list. Based on my own observation I have found that an adjustment will favorably affect 9 of 10 headaches (even migraines). Of those, about half seem to go away entirely within a very short time. The connection is simple: neck bones that are not moving well can contribute to muscle spasms, poor blood flow, and nerve irritation.
- Ice: some headaches have a more direct link to blood flow and these will often respond well to the placement of an ice pack at the base of the skull for 10-15 minutes. The cold will constrict the blood vessels, which can decrease the throbbing sensation often associated with headaches. You can double this one up with the next one.
- Roll up a towel: many tension type headaches are accompanied by some tight and unhappy muscles in the neck and upper back. If you lay on your back, with a towel rolled loosely under your neck it may give your muscles a break while keeping your neck in a neutral position. See my pillow tips here.
- Acupuncture: I am not an acupuncturist, but I know it works and I know several really good ones. Call my office at 360-834-3434 and I would be happy to give you some names.
- Massage: This can compliment the chiropractic adjustment really well. A good therapeutic massage will increase blood flow to grumpy muscles, drain lymphatic toxins, and it usually feels great. If you read this far, call to schedule a massage and adjustment and I will give you a $10 credit.
- Only eat food: I just started reading a great book called “If its Not Food, Don’t Eat It”. If you put sugar water in your car it might start to have problems, right? Your body can react the same way to many things that you eat, but shouldn’t be. Lots of different ‘pseudofoods’ can trigger headaches. Some big offenders include caffeine, alcohol, red meat, chocolate, aspartame, and the list goes on. Watch out for processed food loaded with stuff you can’t pronounce–these can send your body on a downward spiral to many chronic health problems.
- Exercise: This is an answer to just about any health related problem. Not only does it reduce emotional stress, but if you strengthen some postural muscles, you can reduce the chances of getting a lot of muscle tension type headaches. Call me and I will teach you some good postural exercises. Later I will probably post a video with a demonstration.
- Laser: read all about it here.
Hope this helps!
Sleep is a valuable resource. Due to the types of problems I see in my office, I am frequently talking about sleep with my patients. Here are some general tips and a video link with a demonstration. (Don’t worry, the video is not just me taking a nap).
1. Minimize stress to your spine. Get it into a neutral position.
- For back sleepers, try elevating your legs. Place a pillow under your knees. This can take some stress off the lower back by relaxing your hip flexor muscles.
- For side sleepers, bend your knees and place a pillow between them. If you can keep your legs parallel to one another, they won’t get a chance to pull on one muscle group more than another. Make sure that the pillow under your head is roughly the same width as your shoulder so that that your neck is not cranked up or down. Resist the urge to put your arm under your head–this can put pressure on some sensitive nerves and blood vessels which can cause numbness.
- For stomach sleepers, don’t do it. I don’t know of a good way to sleep on your stomach. Sorry. If you do it frequently, then you’ll just need to call your chiropractor on a regular basis.
2. Create a routine
- regular exercise will put your body into a rhythm, but don’t do it too close to bed time. This gets the nervous system geared up for more action.
- go to bed a the same time each night
- consider keeping a sleep journal to help identify patterns
3. Try to sleep on a regular cycle
- your body works on 90 minute cycles during restful sleep. This means you’ll do better if you don’t wake in the middle of one. Go for 4.5, 6, 7.5, or 9 hours.
4. Keep a pedestal fan in your bedroom
- first, it is a great source of white noise (ceiling fans don’t work as well for this). Think of it like a jammer to block out other sounds that might interrupt your rest.
- second, a gentle breeze across your face actually puts your body into a state called “sensory adaptation”. The constant stimulus will cause your brain to ignore it, thus calming your sympathetic nervous system and enhancing your sleep.
5. Watch what you put into your body
- avoid stimulants like coffee, tea, and soda
- don’t drink liquids too close to bed time–those bathroom trips can be a major interruption
- melatonin, vitamin B, and other supplements can be helpful. However, it must be customized for each person. Call me to find out more (360-834-3434)
6. Pick the right mattress and pillow–ready for the secret?
- there is no ’silver bullet’ of mattresses. everyone must find what works the best for them.
- in general, try to balance comfort with support. I use a firm mattress with an inexpensive foam egg crate pad on top.
- see the video for the pillow I recommend–if you went to the trouble to read this far, you may simply mention this article to receive $10 off of one of our Tri-Core Pillows.
