Many women visit a chiropractor for migraines each month for pain relief more than men do. The leading reason behind this is their fluctuating hormone levels (specifically estrogen) throughout the menstrual cycle. As a result, child-bearing women tend to suffer from frequent migraine attacks. In some cases, women who never experience migraines before pregnancy end up having severe attacks during and after their term.
Typically, it’s okay to take pain medications like ibuprofen and other NSAIDs to relieve migraines and headaches. They work fast and reduce the pain for a couple of hours. However, when you’re expecting a child, you may need to use a different approach when managing your migraine symptoms.
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Pain relievers do wonders to headaches and migraines. That’s why they make a fine addition to every first aid kit at home. However, studies show that taking them during pregnancy can result in problems. Here are some quick facts about migraines during pregnancy for your reference:
As a pregnant woman, you need to understand the importance of every choice you make for your body. That’s because anything you do can affect the growing child in your womb. The first few months of fetal development are extra crucial. During these times, the nervous system begins to develop. The last trimester is also extra critical as the blood vessels finish growing.
According to some studies, pain killers might affect the child’s growing bodies, so it’s often best to consult with a physician before you take medication, even the over-the-counter options.
Alternatively, you can try holistic and natural methods such as the following:
Yoga and mindfulness exercises help reduce stress during pregnancy, playing a role in curbing your attacks' frequency and intensity. You can join a yoga or guided meditation class to maximize the benefit of a relaxing and calming routine for pregnant ladies.
Often, temperature changes trigger a severe bout of migraine headaches, so you can try to counter its effect by applying a cold compress on the painful side. You can also stay in a cool room when you experience the symptoms.
Magnesium is an element found in various food. It plays a critical role in different body processes such as your serotonin's function, a recept in charge of stabilizing your mood and mental well-being. It can also impact your eating, digestion, and sleeping patterns, some key factors that affect a migraine episode.
Every chiropractor for migraines knows that pregnancy can make it extra challenging to sleep. As your approach the second trimester, you become prone to experiencing insomnia because of certain things like leg cramps, frequent trips to the bathroom, heartburn, and shortness of breath.
Sadly, lack of quality sleep can cause you to experience bad headaches and migraine attacks. Here are some helpful and simple tips you can try to ensure a comfy and long rest at night:
Migraine attacks can get triggered by many things, ranging from food products like hams and cheeses to seeing bright lights. If you’re someone who has been experiencing migraine attacks for a long while, you might already have a migraine journal. If not, we highly suggest starting one. Use it to keep track of migraine triggers specific to your case. You can also note each episode's details, such as the length, intensity, and accompanying symptoms.
You might have heard about upper cervical chiropractic care from your friends or loved ones. It’s an increasingly popular approach to managing all kinds of illnesses and symptoms, including migraines. It’s pretty helpful for various groups, even pregnant women.
Most of the time, expecting mothers go to an upper cervical chiropractic practitioner to address back pain. However, it works wonders for migraine episodes during pregnancy as well.
Basically, this procedure aims to restore the body’s balance and vitality by correcting neck bone alignment. Unknowingly, your upper cervical bones might have shifted from their original position, disrupting brain signals transmission.
This causes your brain to process mixed signals which could trigger different migraine symptoms. It’s a precise and gentle approach to correcting the problem and helping your body heal naturally.
Once the bones gradually go back to their neutral alignment, your central nervous system can function better. This way, you can slowly reduce (or possibly eliminate) your migraine problem during and after your pregnancy.
If you worry about using pain relievers to manage your migraine attacks while you’re pregnant with your child, you can try upper cervical care. As we’ve discussed above, it’s an all-natural approach to body healing and coping with chronic migraines.
Several case studies have shown the promising potential of upper cervical care in providing migraines relief. If you’re interested to know a bit more about this approach, you can consult with a local chiropractor near you.
TV show host Montel Williams describes how specific chiropractic care has helped his body.
The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.