Headaches are the number one condition that affects more people than any other and is the primary reason for over the counter drug sales in our country. It is amazing that “a tiny little pill” can relieve or even take away a headache. An occasional headache conquered by an occasional “little pill” is no doubt a success story. However, if you need to take 5 or 6 a week, let alone 5 or 6 a day, then this is an indication of a more serious underlying problem.
Unfortunately, long term use of all of the headache pills will affect either your stomach, kidneys, liver or pancreas. Our country leads the world in problems with these organs and unfortunately, the cause can lead back to that “tiny little pill”. While the headache pill eases the symptom, it never gets to the cause.
So what causes a headache? While there are many types of headaches, the cause of the majority of them arises from the top three bones of the neck and the muscles of the back of the skull. The blood vessels and nerves that go into the skull, head, and face, first must travel through a tiny little hole on each side of the vertebrae. Because we have many jobs and hobbies that require us to bend down, or worse, have our head turned or tilted for long periods of time, muscles on one side of the neck tighten.
Typical examples of causes are: holding the phone between our ear and shoulder to talk for extended period of time, tilting our head to write, or the manual laborer who must plaster, paint, pound or shovel with one arm up over and over again. How often do you use the other ear or the other arm? Probably never. This constant repeated imbalance of our neck muscles eventually causes small spasms in the upper neck affecting the blood and nerve flow to that side of the head.
Vascular or blood related headaches pound with the heart beat. The blood is trying to get through, but because the blood vessel is restricted you feel the pounding of the heart. Notice how pale the forehead gets….not enough blood is getting to your head.
Nerve related headaches are constant. Migraines are often a combination of both. This is why more and more people are turning to chiropractic, massage and even acupuncture for more natural and lasting relief. By relaxing and balancing the muscles and vertebrae of the upper neck you will find headaches will become less frequent, less severe, and ultimately less likely.
What To Do If Headaches Are Affecting Your Workout
Over the past 6 years, our office has committed to specializing in headache relief through a computerized adjusting treatment called the ProAdjuster. If you would like to learn more about the cause and effect of headaches and effective treatments to correct the cause of headaches, please visit our website at www.NewPortRicheySpine.com.
