Many of us of been there. You're going about your day and all of a sudden you start to feel a bit pressure building behind your left eye. You know its coming because this same headache visited you the day before, and in fact was around for most of the last year. It may seem manageable now (or maybe not) but many times it consumes you and all you want to do is find a place to hide and get away.
Headaches can range from a mild throbbing sensation on "good days” to the general sense of an ever tightening pressure that just won’t let up.
But that’s alright because these are “normal” and you get them all the time; daily, weekly, monthly. You’ve been dealing with it forever and its not “that bad” especially compared to the occasional migraine you get.
Imagine there was something you could do differently that could permanently stop your headaches. If the headaches keep coming back it is likely that there is one thing you are doing, or even more likely a few different things you are doing, that are causing your headaches. If you knew what those things were, wouldn’t you prefer to address them instead of simply masking the symptoms?
Let me be clear here, I don’t think there is anything wrong with drugs, oils, rubs, or anything else you have been doing. I know that when used properly they can really help and in most cases they work by silencing the message instead of correcting the problem that is making the message necessary.
The head “ache” pain is a signal that you are experiencing is similar to elevated blood sugar in a diabetic person. It is the collateral damage of an underlying problem (core problem). Simply put, the headaches are NOT the real PROBLEM.
Below may not be the only components at work contributing to your headaches but addressing these 5 issues will be a great start to living a headache free life!
5 Core Problems Causing your Headaches
1. Lack of Sleep. The link between bad quality sleep and headaches is not a coincidence. Sleep affects the chemical balance in your body and a lack of sleep is also linked to a decrease in your pain threshold. This means that the same life stresses our body would typically adapt to easily, in the absence of sleep, could actually trigger headaches and other pains.
2. Emotional and Mental Stress. This is probably the number one cause of all physical pain that we experience. Spending your time stressing about your kids, job, relationships, finances and bills is going to be one of the major contributing problems (core problem) to your altered state.
3. Dehydration. This is one that most of us know as a cause for headaches. If you aren’t drinking enough water it actually can cause the the brain to shrink slightly and start to pull away from the skull. As you can imagine when this happens it pulls on pain receptors and yes it hurts!
4. Poor Diet. Remember that the main purpose of food is to fuel every cell in your body to function optimally. If you aren’t eating the right foods, you aren’t going to give your body the right nutrients it needs to function properly. This can set your hormones out of balance, alter your blood flow and contribute largely to your headaches.
5. Structural Spinal Issues. Remember that our spine is an amazing system in our body that not only physically protects the spinal cord but it is also inundated with nerve receptors that are vital to deliver information to and from the brain. When there is an abnormality in the spine (especially the neck) it can irritate surrounding tissues like the muscles, discs, ligaments and nerves. This can disrupt the normal input and output cycles leading to the collateral damage of headaches.
Corrective Chiropractors are experts in detecting these core problems in your spine and correcting them. Keep in mind that there are other things that could be contributing to your headaches. However, these are the major ones that you can address easily and start correcting them right away with little effort to maximize the benefits.
Remember, the reason for your headache is not because of a lack of Tylenol in your blood. At the root of every health challenge there is a core problem that needs to be detected and corrected to not only improve the symptoms you are experiencing but to also improve your life!
Dr. Alfredo is an health enthusiast who’s goal is to help people and families live healthier, happier lives. My philosophy on health is simple - our body’s have the amazing ability and potential to self-adapt, self-regulate and THRIVE in this world.