Like a strange noise coming from your washing machine or the approaching siren from a fire engine, headaches are a warning sign created by your body.

Do Headaches Have a Purpose?

If you suffer from frequent headaches, you want them to go away. But, not so fast! Why do we get headaches? Why are we equipped to experience this unpleasant feeling? And what's the best way to reduce or eliminate them?

Identify Limits:

Pain of any kind is a way our body tells us that we've reached a boundary. When our finger exceeds the limits of the joint, we experience pain.

Provide a Warning:

Pain is a signal our body uses to alert us that something isn't working right. Physical pain, social pain, financial pain and even psychological pain is a warning that something needs to change.

Avoid Injury:

Ultimately, pain is a form of self-protection. Without experiencing pain, we might do more serious, irreversible damage to ourselves.

Understandably, we want pain to disappear. A convenient way is to ingest a drug that covers-up pain or fools the body so it doesn't feel the pain. In the short term, this quiets the pain. But as you might expect, this strategy can make the original, underlying problem worsen and make it more difficult (and expensive) to correct later when this method no longer works. Because eventually it takes increasing doses to produce the same effect.

Today's Drug Culture:

While convenient, drugs that numb your nervous system have unwanted effects, such as kidney failure or liver damage. Worse, they do little to correct the actual cause of your headache.

Hidden Cause:

While there can be many causes of headaches, a common one we see is when the spinal bones of the upper neck no longer support the head properly. This can do two things:

- Disrupt the nerve supply to your head
- Change the blood supply to your head

Either one, or a combination of both, can cause a headache.

Types of Headaches:

Migraine Headaches usually show up on one side of the head. Nausea, vomiting and visual disturbances are commonly associated. Blood sugar changes, emotional disturbances, stress and fatigue can set them in motion.

Tension Headaches are the most common type of headache. Acute Tension Headaches are usually short and can be relieved with rest or numbed with over-the-counter medications. Chronic Tension Headaches rarely respond to drug solutions.

Hormonal Headaches are usually set in motion by changes in blood chemistry. This could result from eating certain types of foods, unusual levels of stress or monthly menstrual cycles.

Cluster Headaches are cited as the most painful. They usually occur more commonly among men.

Sinus Headaches are relatively rare and are accompanied by nasal drainage, runny nose and fever. Pain is often experienced on the face, forehead, behind the eyes and sinuses.

It's been our experience that many types of headaches resolve with chiropractic care. This surprises many who overlook the relationship between the spine, the nervous system and blood supply to the head.

Take This Simple Test:

Many headaches, neck problems and shoulder pain result from restricted neck motion—something we help people with every day. There's a simple test you conduct at home to see if you may be a good candidate for chiropractic care in our office. Go to our website at www.drbush.com, and click on the "more" link on the Headache article. You'll see this same article, with links that allow you to perform the assessment.

Step 1
With the test subject comfortably seated and their eyes closed, have them tilt their head up and down several times, coming to a neutral resting position.

Step 2
With their eyes still closed and without moving their shoulders, have them rotate their head fully to the left and hold for a few seconds.

Step 3
With their eyes still closed and without moving their shoulders, have them rotate their head fully to the right and hold for a few seconds.

Assessment:
Was the subject able to rotate their head less in one direction?
Was motion restricted or was pain associated with turning in either direction?
Did the subject hear any "popping" or grinding sounds?

If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, it warrants a more thorough examination and professional evaluation.

Needless Suffering:

We offer this information as a public service to residents in the Humble-area. We meet many who have been told to live with their headaches, or, that it's "all in their head." Many depend upon powerful, sometimes dangerous drugs to tame the pain.

That's no way to live.

Act Now:

We hope the information contained in this report the findings from our simple diagnostic test will inspire you to act now!

More Questions?
Feel free to email us or telephone our office with other questions you may have.

The Oaks Chiropractic Center