September sees Migraine Awareness Week, which was introduced by The Migraine Trust to raise awareness and understanding and provide support for migraine sufferers.
Migraine affects 1 in 7 people, with 8 million sufferers in the UK alone.
It is one of the most disabling lifetime conditions, yet also one of the most misunderstood and underfunded medical conditions in modern medicine.
With no known cause, it is thought most sufferers are genetically predisposed, although there are certain triggers which commonly occur including stress, lack of food, alcohol, hormonal changes in women, lack of sleep and the environment.
The most common symptoms include a throbbing headache, sensitivity to light and noise, nausea, vomiting and lethargy. This may be accompanied by an ‘aura’ beforehand which are neurological symptoms and include changes such as visual, speech and hearing disturbances, numbness or tingling, weakness and dizziness or vertigo.
Attacks typically last between 4 and 72 hours and can have an enormous impact on the sufferers work, family and social lives.
No cure is currently available, however there are numerous migraine treatment options, ranging from conventional medicines to supplements, herbs and other options.
Fortunately chiropractic is very effective for treating both chronic and acute headaches and has been found (with massage) to provide a 68% reduction in the intensity of migraine headache in a 2015 study, with chiropractic alone reducing headache for 3 months in a 2016 study.
The Migraine Trust is committed to reducing the burden of migraine – on individuals, their families, schools and employers, the health system, the economy and society as a whole, with research being at the heart of their work. For further help and support they may be contacted at www.migrainetrust.org.
If you are interested in finding out how Espina Chiropractic may be able to help give you the relief from headaches and migraines you have been searching for please feel free to call us today, drop us an email or contact us through our website.
References
[Lidiane Lima Florencio MD et al. American Academy of Pain Medicine Volume 16, Issue 8 August 2015 :1629–1634]
www.migrainetrust.org
Jahangiri JN, Vatankhah N, and Baradaran HR. Reduction of Current Migraine Headache Pain Following Neck Massage and Spinal Manipulation. Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. 2012; 5(1): 5–13.
BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2016 Feb 6;17:64. doi: 10.1186/s12891-016-0912-3.
