Time and time again, people ask if it’s possible to protect oneself from migraines. Is there an effective way to counter an attack? Or is it impossible to prevent the notorious migraine symptoms from ruining your chances of living a healthy and pain-free life? Find out the answers and understand how you can potentially experience lasting relief after you visit a chiropractor for migraines.
Table of Contents
Technically, migraine isn’t a condition you can protect yourself from. It can happen with little to no warning while sitting in a bus, driving your car, or hearing loud sounds of machinery at work. That’s because it’s not something you can get from a contagious bacterial or viral infection. Instead, it is a prevalent health concern that results from chemical imbalances in the brain. Here’s a closer look at what happens inside the brain during a migraine episode:
If you can find a way to interfere with the series of events, you can potentially prevent your migraine from affecting your daily routine.
It’s a good idea to spot common migraine symptoms because they can indicate what specific stage you are in. As you might have read from previously published Upper Cervical Awareness articles on migraines, an episode typically consists of four distinct phases. Some patients have it, while others only have three or two. Let’s help you get acquainted with these in our discussion below:
The American Migraine Foundation explains that prodrome is the pre-headache phase of an attack. Not many migraineurs are aware that they have this stage. However, those who pay close attention to their episodes notice several indicators, including:
The aura stage mostly happens right before the headache phase. Sensory and visual disturbances best characterize this phase. However, it would help if you also looked out for other symptoms such as:
Most migraineurs refer to this stage as the worst phase. Usually, this stage causes extreme pain limited to one side of the head. But some people who experience it notice throbbing or pulsating sensations on both sides of their heads. Additionally, they notice accompanying symptoms like:
Studies note that migraine attacks can linger for more than five days. And in most cases, patients experience hangover symptoms after the grueling headache stage. Excessive pain can leave the brain tired and energy-drained, causing you to experience symptoms such as:
While it’s impossible to protect yourself from migraines, you have plenty of options to manage your symptoms and lessen the impacts of your condition on your body. Some examples of the things you can do include the following:
One natural and holistic way to cope with your migraine triggers is by managing or avoiding your triggers. That’s because they set your migraine attacks in motion. Below are some of the frequently reported migraine triggers of patients:
Did you know you have plenty of options for natural migraine relief? You can try exploring massage therapy, yoga breathing, acupuncture, acupressure, and even mindfulness exercises to manage your symptoms and enjoy days of respite and complete peace of mind. It would also help to practice simple self-care techniques to amplify the benefits of whatever holistic or natural remedy you explore. Here are a few tips:
Going to a chiropractor for migraines is among the most highly recommended options for pain relief. That’s because a chiropractor for migraines can help correct postural misalignments that affect the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain. As we have discussed earlier, a migraine episode can happen due to abnormal levels of chemicals in the nervous system. The imbalance can affect nerve transmission and increase cerebral inflammation, making you more susceptible to worse migraines.
If you notice signs of neck bone misalignments, we strongly recommend seeking an upper cervical chiropractor. This way, you can current even the slightest postural changes and relieve pressure on your nervous system. We suggest getting in touch with the nearest practice so you can retrain your spine and maintain proper alignment of your head, C1, and C2 bones.
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.