YOUR HEADACHE CAN BE HEALED

Adults most commonly experience headaches than most, although they arise at any time in life. Approximately 80% of children will experience a headache at some point during childhood, but most are minor and resolve on their own. In fact, many adults who experience headaches report suffering their first headache during childhood.

Although some conventional physicians have reservations that chronic headaches, particularly migranes, can be healed, this may not be the case. The medical term “migraine” only refers to your most obvious symptom, one that often bears little relation to the problem that is causing it. The doctors at Merrifield Chiropractic Center recognize this distinction and seek to treat the root cause of headaches, addressing your entire being, taking into account your mental, emotional, and physical make-up, as well as your structural, biochemical, and energy elements.

GENERAL SYMPTOMS OF HEADACHES
Headache symptoms most commonly begin mildly. Anyone suffering a sudden onset of a severe headache may have a serious condition requiring urgent medical attention. Common headache is commonly described a dull, achy or throbbing pain. It characteristically begins at the base of the occiput/upper part of the cervical spine (neck) and may refer pain into the eye(s), the temple, or various other locations. Headaches may be felt unilaterally (one side) or bilaterally (both sides) of your head. Loud noises, bright lights, inadequate sleep and food deprivation may exacerbate headaches. Some patients experience nausea or smell odd smells, hear unusual sounds, or see abnormal sights preceding and during the headache. Headaches are rarely caused by aneurysms, tumors or any other type of space occupying lesion inside the skull or spine. Certain substances, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), additive to increase the flavor of food, may cause headaches, as well.

MCC’S CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHES
The productive management of headaches relies heavily on accurately identifying the source or origin of the headache and its corresponding diagnosis. At Merrifield Chiropractic Center, our staff evaluates your symptoms and searches for structural, environmental, dietary or chemical patterns that indicate the primary cause of your headache. An individualized treatment plan geared specifically toward eliminating the source of your headaches includes:

• Education about proper posture and functional movement to re-establish a pain-free and stress –free environment and movement patterns
• Self-management activities created to assist you to sustain normal, pain-free flexibility and function

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