There are few conditions as crippling as chronic headaches or migraines, and yet there are over forty-seven million Americans afflicted. The easiest way to distinguish a headache from a migraine is severity. Unlike headaches, which range from dull to acute, migraines can last for days, interfering in one’s ability to function. Migraines commonly include intense and unilateral pain, nausea and vomiting, and light sensitivity, which may include auras.
What causes headaches and migraines? Many headaches are caused by tight neck and upper back muscles, from injury or long hours in front of computer screens. Stress, including lack of sleep, causes your body to produce more cortisol, which raises blood pressure, and serotonin, which constricts blood vessels. Other fluctuating hormones like estrogen also commonly trigger migraines, and especially occur during hormonal transitions, such as puberty, menses, and menopause.
Histamine is known to play a crucial role in migraines; foods high in histamine, including cheese, cured meat, wine, and chocolate are common triggers. Caffeine triggers headaches through dehydration, magnesium depletion, and blood pressure increases. Finally, barometric weather changes are linked to chemical changes in the brain that irritate nerves and increase inflammation.
Chronic migraine and headache sufferers often become heavily dependent on prescribed medication and OTC drugs such as ibuprofen and Tylenol for relief, which are known to damage liver and kidney function. Worse, they do not correct the underlying problem, increasing inflammation in the long-term.
Enter acupuncture into the picture! Acupuncture not only effectively treats headache and migraine pain, but it helps the body to heal. It is truly a shame that more people with these conditions do not understand how radically acupuncture can change their life! How does it work? Acupuncture effectively reduces tightness in the neck and upper back muscles, sometimes immediately relieving headaches. It stimulates the release of endorphins which reduce pain, promote healthy blood circulation, and downregulate inflammatory chemicals in the brain that regulate blood vessel activity.
But it doesn’t stop there. Acupuncture has been clinically shown to significantly reduce stress levels and restore hormonal balance. Acupuncture also improves immune function, reducing inflammation. A 2009 systemic review that included 22 clinical trials and 4419 participants looked at acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis. The review concluded that acupuncture is at least as effective as prophylactic drug treatment and should be seriously considered as a side-effect free option.
At Vital Health, we can successfully treat your chronic migraines and headaches without drugs. Using extensive intakes and bio-analysis testing to uncover the cause(s), we then use dietary, herbal and/or supplement recommendations with acupuncture protocols to soothe stress, balance hormones, increase blood flow to the brain, and reduce inflammation. Conquer your pain naturally!
©2023 Darcy Greenwald, M.S.O.M., L.Ac. and Vital Health
