You May Not Have to Suffer with Headaches Any Longer!

In recognition of “Headache Awareness Week” we thought it would be prudent to focus on education and treatment options available for those folks who suffer from headaches – many of which can be quite disabling. I have personally suffered from both Tension (Stress) Headaches and Migraines in the past so it is my sincere pleasure to share information on how I found relief and treatments that may work for you as well.

What triggers headaches:     

People of all ages can suffer headaches; in fact children as young as two years old have complained of headaches.  About 50% of 7 year olds and almost 85% of 15 year olds report experiencing recurrent mixed Tension-Migraine type headaches. There are between 150 and 200 types and sub-types of headache according to the International Headache Society.

Some people may have a genetic predisposition to have headaches, but they are still usually triggered by an external stimulus such as noise or bright lights.  Some common triggers include, but are not limited to:

          Stress            Odors                    Lights                 Lack of Sleep

          Weather         Humidity                Sun                    Milk Products

          Fatigue           Perfumes               Noise                  Dehydration

          Chemicals       Anxiety                  Menstruation      Low Blood Sugar

         

Headaches can also be due to a history of head trauma such as being in a Motor Vehicle Accident (even low-speed impacts), a Sports Injury or Concussion, or something that happened to you earlier in life and you may not remember or even be aware of.  Being involved in any fall or accident can cause long-term inflammation, affect your alignment, dural adhesions, or even primary or secondary traumatic brain injury.

The fact is that knowing what causes your headaches will help you find an appropriate treatment ─ after all, why suffer if you don’t have to?  Physicians can give you medications to lessen the symptoms, but wouldn’t it be more prudent to remove or fix the cause of the headaches so you don’t suffer from them in the first place?

Research shows that headaches and migraines can be associated with certain food chemicals; migraine headaches and food intolerances are ancient phenomena, each mentioned in the Hippocratic texts. The terms food sensitivity and food allergy are often used interchangeably when referring to food intolerance, but they do have different meanings. Food allergies are immune responses to proteins called antigens in foods. They are more serious and more rare than food sensitivities, which occur as a result of enzyme deficiencies, as is the case with lactose intolerance.  In general, more foods cause sensitivities than allergies, though some foods, such as eggs, milk, and fish, can cause both.  Approximately 2 percent of adults and 5 percent of infants suffer from food allergies whereas sensitivities to food can take many forms and can affect 60 to 70 percent of the population. 

Eight foods account for 90 percent of food allergies. These are milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. In addition to these eight foods, other foods to which people are frequently sensitive include beef, chicken, pork, corn, oranges, strawberries, kiwi fruit, spinach and tomatoes.  Other items likely to cause food sensitivities include alcohol, chocolate, MSG, caffeine, fermented cheese, refined sugar, smoked meats, and vinegar.

Treatment Options: 

My advice for anyone who is still suffering with headaches despite seeing their family physician is to do two things: (1) go see a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine to investigate possible food intolerances, and (2) go see an Osteopath for assessment and possible treatment of alignment and soft tissue or nerve tissue compression issues.

There are so many assessments and treatment options available though both of these healthcare professionals that I'm not even going to try to list them here.  I will tell you that my quality of life improved dramatically after just two visits as my headaches have been almost completely eliminated. Before I would take a medication when the headaches became intolerable in an effort to lessen the severity, but now I don’t need the medication as I rarely get headaches, and when I do, they’re mild enough to tolerate.  I sincerely hope many others can find the wonderful relief I did – it really has changed my life! 

*If anyone would like the name of the healthcare professionals I saw, please email me and I’d be more than happy to share their contact information with you. 

*For the record, I am in no way affiliated with either, nor do I profit by referring people to them.  I do this only in an attempt to allow others to find the relief I did; I wish someone had told me about them years ago.

Excerpts from:

www.medicine.usask.ca/pediatrics

www.livestrong.com/article/309533