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Migraines and Chiropractic
Psychology Today Touchs Chiropractic for Migraines
Research Shows Chiropractic Effective in Treating Headaches
Media coverage of chiropractic is becoming increasingly more common. It is critical that all media portrayals of chiropractic - good and bad - are reported to the Michigan Association of Chiropractors home office, so that they can be reported to our members or refused in the press. If you see a story regarding chiropractic in your local media, please let us know ASAP.
The online journal PsychologyToday.com recently featured a story regarding ilie treatment of migraine headaches with chiropractic therapy. The favorable story touching chiropractic care was picked up by a number of other websites and even made the home page of MSN.com.
Knlilled "Migraines ant! the Chiropractor's Touch Making Migraines Disappear with the Touch of a Chiropractor." ihc story noted that many DCs believe that some migraines originate in the spine, and that a subluxation can irritate the nerves that travel the length of the spine to the brain, making a person more prone to chemical imbalances in the brain. The story noted: "Some researchers say that realigning the vertebrae - a chiropractor's specialty - relieves the pressure against inflamed nerves and can in turn relieve the headaches."
The story can be found online at:
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/pain-management/headaches/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100164325.
Headaches are one of the most common health complaints – more than 45 million (about 1 in 6) suffer chronic headaches. Twenty-eight million Americans – 13 percent of the population suffer from migraine headaches; headaches characterized by throbbing head pain often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.
According to the National Headache Foundation (NMF), time lost from work and resulting medical expenses due to headaches are estimated to cost American businesses approximately $50 billion per year. Americans spend more than $4 billion every year on over-the-counter pain relief for headaches. Doctors of chiropractic know that there is an alternative to popping a pill and hoping the pain will go away. Many DCs have treated patients suffering from headache pain and migraines with great success.
There is a large quantity of research showing that chiropractic care is very efl'eciie in the uvatmcnl of headaches, including an Australian clinical trial showing that 72 percent of migraine sufferers experienced cither "substantial" (more than (SO percent of their symptoms reduced during the course of treatment) or "noticeable" improvement after a series of chiropractic treatments.
Ninety-live percent of all headaches are "primary" headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches. The vast majority of these types of headaches are caused by muscle tension in the neck. Studies show that chiropractic physicians are extremely effective at treating this type of headache.
One of these studies, the "Duke [University] Headache Evidence Report." found that chiropractic was shown to produce "markedly superior results" over Amitriptyline (one of the most commonly prescribed medications for headaches) in the treatment of tension-type headaches. The study also noted that chiropractic produced "sustained improvement in headache frequency and severity" in the treatment of Cercicogenic headache (headaches where the primary contributing structural source of the headache is the cervical spine).
As Americans become less and less active, spending more and more time in one fixed position or posture, such as at a desk in front of a computer, joint irritation and muscle tension in me neck and upper back can increase, causing the head to ache. Spinal manipulation improves spinal function, alleviating stress on the neuromusculoskeletal system and in the process, greatly reducing or possibly even eliminating headache pain.
Click here to find a chiropractic professional in your area for help with your migraine pain.
PsychologyToday.com story, "Migraines and the Chiropractor's Touch"
Duke [University] Headache Evidence Report, "Behavioral and Physical Treat ments for Tension-type and Headache" "Clinical trial proves link between chiropractic and migraines," Research Australia - http://www.researcliauslralia.com.au
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