Headaches affect just about everyone at some point and they can present themselves in many different ways. Some people only experience pain in one part of their head or behind their eyes, some people experience a pounding sensation inside their whole head, and some people even experience nausea. The pain may be dull or sharp and may last for a few minutes to a few days. Most headaches are either a migraine headache, tension headache or a cluster headache.
Migraine Headaches
Each year, about 25 million people in the U.S. experience migraine headaches and about 75% are women. Migraines are intense and throbbing headaches that are often associated with nausea and sensitivity to light or noise. They can last a few hours or as long as a few days. Many of those who suffer from migraines experience visual symptoms called an "aura" just prior to an attack that is often described as seeing flashing lights or the sensation of everything taking on a dream-like appearance.
Migraine sufferers usually have their first attack before age 30 and they tend to run in families, supporting the notion that there is a genetic component to them. Some people have attacks several times a month; others have less than one a year. Most people find that migraine attacks occur less frequently and become less severe as they get older.
Migraine headaches are caused by a constriction of the blood vessels in the brain, followed by a dilation of blood vessels. During the constriction of the blood vessels there is a decrease in blood flow, which is what leads to the visual symptoms that many people experience. Even in people who don’t experience the classic migraine aura, most of them can tell that an attack is immanent. Once the blood vessels dilate, there is a rapid increase in blood pressure inside the head. It is this increased pressure that leads to the pounding headache. Each time the heart beats it sends another shock wave through the carotid arteries in the neck up into the brain.
There are many theories about why the blood vessels constrict. What we do know is that there are a number of things that can trigger migraines, such as lack of sleep, stress, flickering lights, strong odors, changing weather patterns and several foods; especially foods that are high in an amino acid called ‘tyramine.’You can reduce the likelihood of migraine headaches by making some lifestyle changes.
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches occur when there has been a physical stress to the cervical spine. The stress to the spine can be from a fall, looking up to paint a ceiling, a car wreck, a sports injury, lifting a heavy object, using a computer, riding a lawnmower for hours, shoveling snow or reading in bed. The stress causes irritation of the muscles and joints in the neck leading to pain in the neck which radiates to the head causing the headache. The irritated joints are subluxated which means they are not moving properly causing the nerves and soft tissues in the neck to be over stimulated which makes the head ache.
Cluster Headaches
Cluster headaches are excruciating headaches that are very short in duration and usually felt on one side of the head behind the eyes. Cluster headaches affect about 1 million people in the United States and are much more common in men. This is the only type of headache that tends to occur at night. The reason that they are called ‘cluster’ headaches is that they tend to occur one to four times per day over a period of several days. After one cluster of headaches is over, it may be months or even years, before they occur again. Like migraines, cluster headaches are likely to be related to a dilation of the blood vessels in the brain, causing a localized increase in pressure.
Chiropractic Care for Headaches
Numerous research studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments are effective for treating tension headaches that originate in the neck.
A report released in 2001 by researchers at the Duke University Evidence-Based Practice Center in Durham, NC, found that "spinal manipulation resulted in almost immediate improvement for those headaches that originate in the neck, and had significantly fewer side effects and longer-lasting relief of tension-type headache than commonly prescribed medications." These findings support an earlier study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics that found spinal manipulative therapy to be very effective for treating tension headaches. This study also found that those who stopped chiropractic treatment after four weeks continued to experience a sustained benefit in contrast to those patients who received pain medication.
Each individual’s case is different and requires a thorough evaluation before a proper course of chiropractic care can be determined. In most cases of headaches, significant improvement is accomplished through manipulation.
Avoid Headache Triggers
Emotional factors such as depression, anxiety, frustration, letdown, and even pleasant excitement may be associated with developing a headache.
Keeping a headache diary will help you determine whether factors such as food, change in
weather, and/or mood have any relationship to your headache pattern.
Repeated exposure to nitrite compounds can result in a dull, pounding headache that may be accompanied by a flushed face. Nitrites dilates blood vessels. They are used as a chemical to preserve meat and some vegetables. Hot dogs, bacon, ham, processed meats, lettuce in a bag and at a salad bar contain sodium nitrite can cause headaches.
Eating foods prepared with mono sodium glutamate (MSG) can result in headache. Soy sauce, meat tenderizer, and any food that has vegetable proteins or vegetable flavoring listed in the ingrediants on the package contains this chemical.
Headache can also result from exposure to poisons, even common household varieties like insecticides, carbon tetrachloride, and lead. Children who ingest flakes of lead paint may develop headaches. So may anyone who has contact with lead batteries or lead-glazed pottery.
Foods that are high in the amino acid tyramine should also be avoided, such as ripened cheeses (cheddar, brie), chocolate, as well as any food pickled or fermented foods.