It can be frustrating to have a headache all the time, and getting a constant migraine can be absolutely devastating causing a significant loss in your work life as well as your and personal one. In order to eliminate your headaches and migraines, naturopathic medicine is effective at treating all kinds of headaches, so you can enjoy life pain-free without missing a beat!
Why do I get headaches?
Headaches can be anything from mildly irritating to extremely debilitating. Women tend to get more headaches than men, and tension headaches are the most common — they’re the kind that feel like you have a vice grip on your head and it isn’t loosening. Migraines are also very common, and are a more severe kind of headache that include nausea, sensitivity to lights, sounds, and smells, and even vomiting. Each affliction is caused by different things, and both can be treated naturally.
Tension headaches
Tension headaches are mildly to moderately painful feeling like a dull ache in a band around your head or like your head is being crushed with pressure. They can be a symptom of many underlying causes, and a proper assessment by your ND can usually quickly identify the cause and get you better.
Some of the more common causes of tension headaches include dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, stress, poor sleep, poor posture, and low blood sugar in between meals. All of these things are easily identified and fixed with your ND’s helping hand!
Muscle tension in muscles of your jaw, neck, and back might also be a contributing factor. Muscles have what’s called referral patterns, meaning knots in muscles cause pain in areas far away from where the knot is located. Sometimes knots in your shoulders, neck, jaw, and back can cause headaches because of these referral patterns. NDs are trained in physical treatment to find these knots and work them out, using either our hands or fine needles. You’ll feel more relaxed and your head won’t hurt anymore!
Migraines
Migraines can be extremely debilitating and have significant impact on your life. It’s hard to think at all when you have a migraine, let alone think about getting out of bed and tending to responsibilities. Visual disturbances (called aura), nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to lights, smells, and sounds, make it almost impossible to do anything other than lie in a dark room.
The exciting news is that a significant majority of migraine sufferers have their symptoms either improve or disappear with diet interventions alone! We look at your diet and identify and remove common allergens and potential triggers. Food sensitivity testing can help speed this process up. Getting quality sleep and reducing stress can also help. We also have powerful herbs and other natural tools that can help clear up whatever the diet changes don’t take care of.
When will I feel better?
Natural therapies are very effective at treating headaches and migraines. We have tools that can provide immediate relief, but sometimes more complicated cases take a bit longer to resolve. Mild to moderate headaches can usually be taken care of very quickly, and some migraines disappear completely with simple diet changes. We’ll do a complete assessment of your case and determine what needs to be done to get you feeling pain-free and back at it!
Give your head a rest, call now to book an appointment!