At one time or another, we all have experienced migraines. That piercing pain between the eyes can be caused by many external and hormonal factors, but a constant migraine may point to a more serious problem. Rather than just popping an aspirin, the solution may lie within the joints and spine.
One side of your head is pounding like a Chinese gong rattling your entire sensory system to the point where you can neither hear, nor feel anything. You cannot eat, smell, see, or let alone stand up without the thought of your last meal making a reappearance. It might feel like there is a small man stabbing you behind your eye with the largest knife in Ron Popeil's famous cutlery set. If you can relate, you have probably experienced a migraine headache.What is concerning to me as a chiropractor is how many people describe these symptoms as a normal part of their life. A point that needs clarification is that just because a symptom happens repetitively, they are not normal occurrences. A symptom is a sign of trouble. Let's take the time to figure out what can cause migraines and how a chiropractor can help.
According to the mayo health clinic common causes of migraines are:
Along with these external stimuli also come some factors that we cannot physically manage. A main cause of migraines is irritation of the suboccipital nerve which directly regulates the actions of the muscles in the neck just below the occiput otherwise known as the base of the skull. These muscles attach to the first bone in the neck known as the atlas or C1. As we become stressed, chemically, physically or emotionally, the atlas has a tendency to shift and or rotate to the right or left. This shift, known as a subluxation, puts pressure on the healing center of the brain and aggravates the surrounding muscles. This healing center is where innate intelligence makes it home. When innate intelligence cannot function or communicate with the body properly, it will result in disease or dysfunction.Again, innate intelligence is responsible for all the involuntary actions our bodies perform without us having to command them, such as breathing, digesting, even fertilization. When the atlas shifts or becomes subluxated, it hampers our bodies ability to express health at 100 percent. This leaves us susceptible to injury as well as illness. If that misalignment, or subluxation, irritates the subocciptal nerve that passes through the posterior arch of the atlas, a migraine may be experienced.We must also remember that the atlas is the last gateway for the vertebral arteries, which are the supplier of oxygenated blood to the brain. The arteries travel upward in the neck and pass through tiny holes in the lateral projections of the upper six vertebrae known as transverse processes. When the atlas becomes misaligned it alters blood flow by decreasing the size of the pathway the artery has to flow through. This decrease in blood flow to the brain may also trigger migraines.
While there are many forms of treatment for migraines, an extremely effective and non-invasive form of healthcare is upper cervical chiropractic. Upper cervical adjustments are done manually or with an instrument called an activator. When a manual adjustment is performed sometimes a cavitation, or an audible, will be heard. This is simply gas escaping from the joint space as it is opened.The adjustment can also be done with the activator, which unloads a very small and extremely quick pulsatile force into the atlas that allows it to oscillate until it rests in the proper position. Whether the adjustment is done manually or with the instrument, its purpose is to relieve pressure from the brainstem, which is the healing center of the body, so it can properly communicate with the rest of the body through the nervous system.Once the bone is in the proper position the musculature can relax from its hypertensive state. Naturally, the rest of the spine will compensate and correct itself over time. This is the reason upper cervical is not only effective for migraines, but also for the rest of body.If there is an ailment due to structural or spinal misalignment, the most effective and permanent way to fix the problem is by aligning the spine from the top, and letting the body do the rest of the work. The atlas is like the keystone of the spine. When the atlas is in the proper position the spine will migrate towards its original S-shaped curve and ensure the health of you and your spine. If the atlas remains subluxated, the spine will loose its curve and leave us susceptible to injury and illness due to a decrease in nerve flow to the correlating areas of the body.The most important aspect of any healthy relationship is communication. Upper cervical adjustments ensure that your body is expressing health at 100 percent through proper communication, thereby helping you cope with the everyday stresses that cause illness and disease.So if you are experiencing migraines, or just want to make sure you are as healthy as your body will allow, visit an upper cervical chiropractor in your area and get checked for a subluxation today. It might change your life.
