AMERICAN HEADACHE SOCIETY NOW RECOMMENDING COMPLIMENTARY TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC HEADACHES
IS THE SKY FALLING?
Dr. Rebecca Wells is a neurologist at Winston-Salem’s Wake Forest University, who was also on the faculty of the American Headache Association’s recent symposium in Scottsdale, AZ (held the same time the FASCIA CONGRESS was held). She also happens to be into CAM (complementary and alternative medicine). Last year she was co-author of a study published in Medical Clinics of North America titled Complementary and Integrative Medicine for Neurological Conditions: A Review, which among other things concluded…
“Although many neurological conditions are common, cures are rare and conventional treatments are often limited. Many patients therefore turn to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).”
In this piece she talked about lifestyle changes (which should under no circumstance be considered an alternative, although unfortunately they are — HERE), acupuncture, nutritional supplements, and several others. Interestingly, she made the statement, “The lack of well-conducted research for chiropractic treatment along with the potential risks of cervical manipulation limit its recommendation for use for migraine.” That was in September of last year. At the Symposium she listed chiropractic adjustments as one of the six categories of CAM used for treating people with migraines (caveat included). Aside from nutrition and lifestyle changes, it might actually be the most commonly used treatment on the list, despite her warnings about the side effects of both.
Wells also made this statement concerning the reason more people don’t opt for CAM, instead choosing standard medical care (i.e. drugs). “For some people, it’s just easier to take a pill. Some treatments require a change in lifestyle or a change in the way people manage their time.” I would heartily agree. I created an extremely generic template to help people start the process of getting out of pain by diminishing their inflammatory load (INFLAMMATION IS AT THE ROOT OF NUMEROUS HEALTH-RELATED ISSUES), but will take some time and effort to follow (HERE). Is it worth it? Depends on who you ask.
Rest assured, however, that the traditional medical approach to dealing with chronic MIGRAINE HEADACHES (or other HEADACHES for that matter) will cause problems. This is because even OTC meds such as ASPIRIN, TYLENOL, and NSAIDS are downright dangerous, causing tens of thousands of deaths per year (along with WHO-KNOWS-HOW-MANY side effects); and this doesn’t even begin to touch on the vast number of PRESCRIPTIONS taken for headaches. The problem comes in because whether people are using dangerous drugs or safer therapies, the treatment(s) must be done over and over and over again — something that’s always been a knock against both chiropractic (HERE) and therapy (HERE). How might the approach I frequently use in my clinic be better than manipulation alone?
The first thing to remember is that headaches can have numerous causes that can typically be broken down into three categories, chemical, mechanical, or electrical (HERE). Secondly, while I am a huge fan of CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS for people with different varieties of headaches, these individuals may require something to break the tethered tissues so they actually hold the adjustment. In other words, they may have to deal with their underlying and invisible FASCIAL ADHESIONS. In my clinic there are no drawn out treatment schedules or high dollar care plans. It’s rather simple — you will know in one treatment whether or not I can help you with your chronic headaches (HERE or HERE).
So, while I appreciate the fact that some in the mainstream are pushing certain aspects of CAM for headaches, there are tens of millions of people shaking their collective heads because they figured out years ago that drugs aren’t the answer. To learn more about HEADACHES, MIGRAINES, NECK PAIN, WHIPLASH, and RELATED TOPICS, just follow the links. And be sure to take a look at at least some of the items on this DIY SOLUTIONS LIST, as you might find something there that could help reduce your systemic inflammation, free your body up, and help you with any number of health-related problems, headaches included. If you enjoy our site, be sure and share it with others. A great way to do this? FACEBOOK, of course!
