Migraine Headaches and Cluster Headaches
Migraine headaches are
one of the most common neurological disorders affecting approximately
15 percent
of the population, or about 45 million Americans. It
is a problem for which few people have found a "cure,"
and many have accepted as something with which they will have to
live.
This, however, may not be necessary.
Although all of the factors causing migraine have not been discovered,
one common cause is now better understood. Increasing evidence is showing
that in susceptible individuals, nerves from the upper spine can be
irritated by poor joint movement in the neck. These nerves connect
to the trigeminal nucleus, a relay center for many of the nerves going
to the head, and particularly its blood vessels. Dr. Michael Anthony,
medical neurologist, states that this nerve irritation in the neck
should be corrected before any drug therapy is tried.
Chiropractic manipulation has long proven to be one of the most effective
treatments for migraine. The most complete research study to date was
funded by the Australian government and performed by a combined team
of medical and chiropractic researchers at the University of New South
Wales in Australia. This study found chiropractic treatment to provide
more relief and more permanent cures for migraine than any other treatment
tested. In a similar study in Canada, Dr. Howard Vernon, a prominent
chiropractic researcher, reported similar results. Migraine subjects
had, on an average, greater than 30 percent reduction in the frequency
and duration of headaches and a 55 percent increase in activities that
had previously
been restricted by the headaches.
Chiropractic treatment will bring
relief for many patients needlessly suffering from migraine headaches.
It does not have to be a problem
that "you just have to live with."
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