Chiropractic Relief From Headaches
If you suffer from headaches, Pivonka Family Chiropractic can help you. There are several things that you should know about headaches, and some of them are serious.
Suffer from Headaches? We Can Help | (480) 892-0022
What Do I Do If I Have a Headache?
What do most people do when they have a headache? They reach for a bottle of aspirin, or ibuprofen, and the headache gets better. Well, sometimes. There are several things that can cause headaches, and surprisingly as a chiropractor, we can help you with headache relief.
Different Types of Headaches
It’s important to know that there are different types of headaches, as anyone that suffers from migraines can tell you. One type of headache that people suffer from is a sinus headache, particularly if they suffer from seasonal allergies. As your sinuses react to pollen and other allergens, they become inflamed until your allergy attack passes. After a cycle of inflammation and release, your sinuses, which can go deep inside your skull become infected. While antibiotics are often prescribed for sinus infections, they often don’t deal with the root cause of the sinus headache, which is a subluxation of the nerve connections between your spine and other systems in your body such as your immune system. And sinus headaches are just one type of headache. Another one is a cluster headache.
Cluster headaches usually affect men more than women. Cluster headaches aren’t a one time thing. They’re recurring headaches that come in cycles. They appear suddenly usually on one side of the head and are often accompanied by sinus issues. There are also tension headaches, rebound headaches, which ironically are caused by taking too many painkillers, and the nightmare of all headaches: a migraine headache. Whatever type of headache you’re dealing with, Pivonka Family Chiropractic can help.
How Can a Chiropractor Help With a Headache?
How can a chiropractor help with a headache? Numerous research studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments are very effective for treating different type of headaches. At Pivonka Family Chiropractic, we know that sometimes there is more to a headache than just your head. Sometimes, your neck is the culprit behind your headache, especially for a tension headache. And chiropractic treatment is very effective for improving or even eliminating headaches.
Spinal manipulation relieves headaches, and has longer lasting relief than medications. It also, obviously, has much fewer side effects than the American pastime of medicating a problem rather than treating it. We also know that everybody is different.
We do a thorough evaluation before we begin any sort of chiropractic care. One treatment method we do in a lot of cases, however, particularly with tension headaches, is to manipulate the upper two cervical vertebrae as well as make some adjustments at the cervical and thoracic junction. This also helps with migraine headaches as well, we’ve found. But we don’t stop at spinal manipulation.
We look for other factors that may be causing your headache, such as neck pain, or some other issue in your body. And we also help you to learn what is triggering your headache. Stress is often a cause or a trigger of a headache, but sometimes it can something like a change in the weather, or exposure to certain foods or odors.
Emotional factors can trigger a headache too. Negative emotions such as anxiety, depression, or frustration can trigger a headache. At Pivonka Family Chiropractic, we don’t just blindly take a stab at treating your headache, we give you strategies to help to avoid them. For example, we may recommend that you keep a patient log or a journal of when you get a headache, and what you were doing before the headache occurred. It could be related to your diet, for example.
Can Food Cause Headaches?
Nitrites are often a culprit with headaches, as is MSG. Nitrite is often found in certain heart medicines, but it is also found in a lot of processed foods, especially meats such as hot dogs, bologna, and bacon. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) which is found in soy sauce, meat tenderizer and other packaged foods can result in headache. So if you have a hot dog at a Diamondbacks game or go out for Chinese food, and immediately after, you get a headache, you’re very likely reacting to the nitrites and/or the MSG.
“I suffer from migraines all the time. I’m even a member of a migraine support group. I went to a bunch of doctors, did a bunch of tests, and you know what they told me? They couldn’t find any cause of my headaches. They then prescribed me some pills, and they worked for a while, then I’d get rebound headaches, as if the migraines weren’t bad enough! A friend recommended seeing Patty Pivonka, and she first wowed me by showing compassion. I always felt like I was a number instead of a patient with the other quacks. Patty asked me a few questions, and did some stuff with my neck. I didn’t get rid of my headaches completely, but they’re a lot better than they used to be, and I don’t have to lie down with the lights off anymore.”-Kira M., Mesa
If you have questions about headaches, we will also be happy to answer them.
So, remember. You don’t have to suffer from headaches. Why not schedule an appointment with Pivonka Family Chiropractic and let us show you how we can help you to manage, or even potentially eliminate your headache for good.
Pivonka Family Chiropractic
1355 S Higley Rd #102
Gilbert, AZ 85296
(480) 892-0022