Get Rid of Your Chronic Headache

Headaches are not normal, yet very common.  They often keep us from performing our daily tasks, and from enjoying life.  A lot of people take pain medication for their headache, however, if the headache is chronic, they also have to deal with the side effects of the medication.  The more frequent you take the medication, and the more consistent over a period of time, the greater the impact of the side effects.  A patient from Redwood City, who had been having headaches for 2 years, comes to my mind as I write this.

I’ve treated many patients for headaches for different reasons.  Below is a list of common reasons I’ve come across in my years in practice.  Use the information below as a starting point for getting rid of your headaches.

1. Are you dehydrated?  Inadequate water intake is common and dehydration headaches are more common than realized.  Drink at least 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body-weight each day.
2. How’s your posture?  Slouching while sitting is a habit of many people.  Your head weighs about 13 pounds, and the bones of your neck are relatively small.  Many small muscles along your spine in the back of your neck holds your head erect.  Slouching causes your head to jut forward.  This puts a lot of stress on these muscles.  This is often the cause of headaches on the back of the head.  Obviously, the solution is to correct your posture.  Pretend you have a string attached to the top of your head, being pulled straight up.  Doing this elongates the spine and helps you keep good posture.  You may need chiropractic adjustments to decrease chronic nerve irritation and restore normal motion to the spine.
3. Did you start getting headaches after you fell or hit your head?  Do you have stiff neck?  Minor injuries sometimes include irritation of the spinal nerves.  If your body is out of alignment, it could cause slight muscle, cartilage and nerve irritation in the neck and upper back.  Consult a chiropractor.
4. Do you have seasonal and/or chronic sinus congestion?  Your headache may be sinus headache.  Using proteolytic enzymes between meals to thin the mucous and decrease allergenic responses could be helpful.  Consult a clinical nutritionist.
5. What about food allergies?  These are often hidden causes of headaches.  For example, many people are sensitive to monosodium glutamate (MSG) but don’t realize it.  I recommend two effective solutions.  The first is a modified elimination diet.  Eliminate the most common allergenic foods from your diet for a week, and then gradually reintroduce them one at a time.  Wait 3 days before reintroducing another possible food allergen.  If you get a headache within 3 days, then you need to avoid that food.  The second is undergoing allergy elimination testing and treatment through the BioSET Allergy Elimination method.  We use either of these solutions in our clinic.
6. Artificial sweeteners or food colorings could be causing your headaches.  Eliminate or limit intake of artificially colored and artificially flavored foods.  For the extremely sensitive person, BioSET Allergy Elimination has been helpful in many cases.
7. Got stress?  High blood pressure?  Hypertension headaches are characterized by high blood pressure and pain in a “hairband” distribution or at the back of the head.  The headache is often most severe in the morning, diminishing later in the day.  The most effective treatment option is to resolve the underlying cause of hypertension.  Chronic stress, adrenal dysfunction, or hyperthyroidism can be underlying causes of hypertension.  Stress reduction and coping techniques are great for tension headaches.
8. Heavy metal toxicity?  Any dental fillings recently done or removed?  If you have been to multiple doctors, had multiple diagnostic imaging tests and lab tests, and still could not determine the cause of your headaches, go see a doctor who is trained to check for heavy metal toxicity.  This is done through hair mineral analysis or with a urine toxic metals challenge test.  This test is available in our office, as well as detoxification treatments, if needed.
9. Hormonal problem?  Many women get headaches near the time of their periods, and most of them are not aware that they could get rid of the headache and other associated symptoms.  Often, some nutritional alterations and key supplemental nutrients can normalize premenstrual symptoms.  We’ve had many cases of headaches associated with menstrual cycle irregularities completely resolved.