HEADACHES

WHAT KINDS OF HEADACHES ARE THERE?

More than 90 percent of headaches can be classified as

tension-type, migraine or cervicogenic.



By far, most people get tension-type headaches and get them

frequently.  They typically suffer mild to moderate pain, on both

sides of the head, that is often described as tight, stiff, constricting

- like having something wrapped around youur head and pressing tightly.



Migraines are periodic severe, throbbing headaches that afflict far

fewer people (and more women than men), usually hurt on one

side of the head, can cause loss of appetite, nausea and even

vomiting, and may involve a visual change called an aura.

Cervicogenic headache is a muskuloskeletal form of tension-type

headache (which may also be related to migraines).  Many times,

cervicogenic headache goes undiagnosed as such due to the

relative newness of this classification.

WHO SUFFERS FROM HEADACHES?

Many millions of adults, worldwide, get headaches regularly.

Headaches are among the most common physical complaints

prompting people to treat themselves or get professional

assistance. One estimate holds that some 50 million people in 

the U.S. get severe, long-lasting, recurring headaches.  Most

headaches are not signs of serious underlying conditions, but 

they can be very distracting, debilitating and account for 

significant amounts of time lost from work.

WHAT SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT?

If you are a headache sufferer, your obvious concern is to obtain

safe, dependable relief. You should avoid making things worse by

using drugs - even over-the-counter, nonprescription drugs - that

can have serious side effects and dangerous interactions with

other medications or supplements you take.  You should also be

aware that many people experience what are termed "analgesic

rebound headaches" from taking painkillers every day, or nearly

every day.  Watch out!  The medicine you take to get rid of

today's headache may give you a headache tomorrow and the

days after.

WHAT CAN CHIROPRACTIC DO?

Chiropractors have had considerable success relieving the cause

of headache pain and releasing headache sufferers from the

dangerous vicious circle of taking ever-larger doses of

ever-stronger painkillers that may even be causing new and

worse headaches.



Chiropractic adjustments have shown to be as effective and even

more effective than medications in reducing the severity and

frequency of headaches.  Chiropractic is particularly successful

dealing with cervicogenic headache.  Even though cervicogenic

and other tension-type headaches may not actually involve stress

or muscle tension, chiropractic's ability to adjust spinal

abnormalities seems to lessen or remove the forces contributing

to many individuals' headache pain.