Migraines can be a debilitating interruption of your life. The pain and other symptoms associated with migraines can cause those who suffer to do little else than lie down in a dark room when a migraine hits.
The most common migraine symptoms include throbbing pain, light and sound sensitivity, nausea, blurred vision, aura, and vomiting.
According to the American Migraine Foundation, 12% or, thirty-six million Americans, suffer from migraine headaches and 3% of the population has chronic migraines.
There is no cure for Migraines and general treatment can include a wide variety of drug options, which may also cause a wide variety of side effects. Side effects of common Migraine medication includes Tingling, Sleepiness, Flushing, Throat and chest tightness, Fatigue, Depression, Nausea, Insomnia, Dizziness, Lowered blood pressure, Weight gain, and Constipation.
Chiropractic can help manage your migraine headaches without the use of drugs.
According to The University of Maryland Medical Center, “Researchers are not sure what causes a migraine, although they know it involves changes in the blood flow to the brain. At first, blood vessels narrow or constrict, reducing blood flow and leading to visual disturbances, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, or tingling sensation in one area of the body, or other similar symptoms. Later, the blood vessels dilate or enlarge, leading to increased blood flow and a severe headache.”
Your chiropractor can help relieve your migraine symptoms by removing any subluxations that may be causing the restriction in blood flow.
The research
Several studies have found how chiropractic can reduce or even eliminate migraine symptoms.
One case study shows how a 72-year–old woman with a 60-year history of migraine experienced elimination of all migraine symptoms after chiropractic adjustment up to seven years later.
Another study showed that of those treated with 16 chiropractic adjustments over the course of 2 months, 22% reported a 90% reduction of migraines and 50% reported improvement of migraine symptoms.
In the<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2646959/pdf/main.pdf" > case of one 22 year old, suffering from chronic recurrent migraines for 2 years, she was able to find relief from symptoms after 17 visits to a chiropractor.