Migraine Headaches – An Upper Cervical Perspective
There are many different types of Migraine headaches. They come and go, usually on one side of the head, there is a throbbing quality and some are moderate and some are severe. As you exert yourself they get worse and can last up to 3 days. Some people experience nausea, vomiting, light sensitivity (photophobia), noise sensitivity (phonophobia) and some people experience an aura.
I would like to go over how Awesome Upper Cervical Care can help people who suffer with migraine headaches.
The largest group of people with migraines happens to be women in their reproductive years. Estimates say that migraine attacks occur on or around a woman’s menstrual cycle. Upper cervical adjustments allow proper nerve flow and expression of the glandular system in charge of all hormones.
Symptoms that occur prior to a migraine are part of the Prodrome Phase and are often confused as being an aura. Different sources will call the aura and prodrome the same thing. Anyway, it is usually a feeling of fatigue, difficulty concentrating, neck stiffness, light or sound sensitivity, nausea, blurred vision, irritability, yawning, low blood pressure, dark circles under the eyes and a “hyper” feeling. These symptoms may last five to 20 minutes or until the headache subsides.
We have to break this “aura” down to explain how awesome upper cervical adjustments make a difference.
The brainstem is in charge of all vital functions of the body. This controls your blood pressure, energy levels, mood, feeling of well being and balance. Upper cervical adjustments restore proper function to the brainstem.
I hope that you noticed “neck stiffness” in the list of aura symptoms. This is a bio-mechanical aspect of a migraine; not chemical. A specific upper cervical adjustment provides proper alignment of the vertebra and spinal cord. You need a mechanical approach to a mechanical problem, going chemical here makes no sense.
Serotonin production is regulated by the autonomic nerves that respond to stress. If you have physical, chemical or emotional stress, your body creates less serotonin. This is natural. However, the stress you put yourself under, may not be. Upper cervical adjustments restore balance to your body and help your body deal with stress properly. Following the DREAM principle is a good idea here.
The throbbing feeling of the migraine is from vascular constriction and compensatory vasodilation. The blood flow to the head is regulated by the top 3 nerves in your neck. This should be obvious how an adjustment to the upper neck will restore balance in this area.
The back of the eye connects to the dura mater that protects the brain and spinal cord. As the migraine begins, the dura undergoes stress (we say from the misalignment) and torsion. Since the eye is connected to the dura, you may feel it in your eyes. Coincidentally, this can be why people get a stiff neck in the aura. Upper cervical adjustments will undo any dural tension and restore balance to the area.
As you can see, there are numerous ways and Awesome Upper Cervical Chiropractic Adjustment has a positive affect on the physiological aspects of a migraine headache. If you suffer from migraines and have not gotten any relief or long standing results, we invite you to try upper cervical care.
Call our office to day to see if We are a fit for you (810) 225-7246