This week is migraine awareness week and so it felt like a good opportunity to discuss the topic that can be deliberating for many of us. In the UK alone it is estimated that 6 million people suffer with them (including yours truly). The symptoms associated with a migraine vary hugely – for one person a migraine could cause vomiting and dizziness, for another it could impact their vision, and obviously, severe head pain.
Chiropractic has been shown to help in the prevention of migraines and also the treatment of headaches arising from the neck.
In our opinion, a migraine is a sensory overload of the nervous system. This means that the nervous system is over firing. From a chiropractic point of view this could be from irritation of the nerves around the head and face. However, for many the triggers may be multifactorial including, stress, alcohol, caffeine, hormonal changes and certain foods, to name but a few. When these come together in the 'perfect storm' a migraine may develop.
One great way to help yourself is to keep a pain diary, noting what you are doing, eating and thinking just before a migraine begins. This will go a long way towards helping you manage your migraines! Our approach as chiropractors is all about helping your whole system work better. We can help support your journey with a full assessment of what’s going on in your life and offering some gentle techniques to improve the function of your spine.