If you suffer from chronic headaches, you probably feel you’ve tried it all to no avail. I want to encourage you to hold out hope that there is a solution waiting for you.

I feel fortunate that it’s been many years since I experienced frequent headaches. Helping headache sufferers correct the cause of their headaches is a passion of mine. I’ve spent years studying how to help people make the shifts needed to unlock the solution to their headaches. 

It’s become more and more evident that pain medications pose far greater risk than we ever thought. I understand the need for short term relief but long-term use is dangerous. Tylenol is one of the leading causes of acute liver failure. The opioid crisis has destroyed many lives. 

There is a better way!

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HOW LONG HAVE YOU SUFFERED?

When was the first time you can recall ever experiencing your headaches? How often are you experiencing your headaches? Is it once a week or less, or are you suffering from headaches multiple times a week?

Are your headaches the same, getting better, or getting worse compared to 3 or 4 months ago?

The body develops patterns. Whenever something happens in the body repeatedly it gets better and better at repeating it. This works in your favor with driving a car or playing a sport. It’s not so great when it develops a pattern of pain like headaches. 

I’VE DISCOVERED CHRONIC HEADACHES COME FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCE

My beginnings in chiropractic started with a host of debilitating problems stemming from an accident a year prior. I experienced the power of my body to heal and it drastically changed the course of my life. 

I’ve been in practice for more than 35 years and one of my passions has been to find ways to help people that are truly predictable, repeatable, and measurable. What do I mean? I’ve developed a system on pinpointing the source of a problem, correcting that problem as much as possible and helping people return to the life they want. 

CORRECTING THE SOURCE OF HEADACHES…IT’S NOT WHERE YOU THINK

THE 4 CRITICAL LEGS

These are the 4 most common factors I help people with to overcome their chronic headaches.

1. IDENTIFY THE TRIGGERS Most headaches have aggravating factors that either bring a headache on or aggravate it. Much of the time it is a movement or position that was initially adopted to ease the pain. Or, it feels good temporarily. 

With headaches it has a lot to do with a combination of:

• Head posture 
• Shoulder or Upper Trapezius Tension
• Trying to stretch or ‘crack’ the neck

Oftentimes due to chronic stress it is worsened with poor sleep or other stresses. The longer you suffer with chronic headaches the more like you are to suffer from poor sleep, inflammation, and stiffness.

2. TURN DOWN ‘FIGHT-or-FLIGHT’ AND TURN ON VAGUS – This is a little chicken or egg. Which came first, the headaches or the overactivation of the Sympathetic ‘Fight-or-Flight’ system? It doesn’t matter! They each make each other worse.

Headaches and pain activate the sympathetic system which in turns increases muscle tension and interferes with sleep. Over time the likelihood of headaches and other challenges increases.

If you want to resolve your chronic headaches you have to turn down the sympathetic system and turn up the Vagus Nerve.

Here’s what I do:

• Change breathing patterns from neck, shoulders, and chest to more diaphragmatic breathing. This reduces the repetitive stimulation of the sympathetic system that drives neck muscle tension and spasm.
• Teach very simple breathwork practices that cultivate activity of the Vagus Nerve. The Vagus Nerve is the foundation of your wellness. It goes to most organs – heart, lungs, stomach and intestines – and is responsible for relaxation. Training the Vagus Nerve is essential to turning down the sympathetic system.
  

3. FIND AND CORRECT THE SOURCE OF THE HEADACHES – The cervical spine or neck is almost always involved for a couple of reasons. 

• Alteration of the curve in the neck puts a torsion stress on the Brainstem in the upper neck. The muscles of the neck go into spasm and this activates the Sympathetic System driving up tension, pain, and inflammation.
• A loss of motion of the cervical vertebra further irritates the Brainstem. This can irritate the 3 pairs of nerves in the top of the neck that go into the head. 
• A misalignment of the top 2 bones in the neck causes irritation and interference to the Vagus Nerve and puts tension on the brain stem.
• Corrective and Balancing Chiropractic adjustments help restore the curve while taking pressure off the brainstem. 

4. QUALITY SLEEP – when we don’t get sleep that is deep enough or long enough, we experience a self-perpetuating cycle of sympathetic ‘fight-or-flight nervous system irritation. This causes muscle tension and pain that drives pain and headaches. 

Over time many people eventually develop anxiety and even depression. Removing the cause of the nerve pressure can have a dramatic impact on headaches.

Your neck is a key to your health. It is home to the Brainstem which is the control center for many critical body functions. When it is free of tension and interference you are more likely to have a lower heart rate and blood pressure, have good digestion, good immune function, and the ability to deeply relax. 

This allows you to get quality sleep and turn down the sympathetic nervous system. Your muscles relax and the pressure on your brainstem is reduced

When the bones of the neck get stuck out of place the Brainstem fires off the Sympathetic ‘Fight-or-Flight’ system leading to a slow decline in health and vitality. The sooner you stop this cycle the easier it is to help the body replace this destructive pattern with one that promotes balance.

Life is too precious to suffer with regular headaches. Let’s get yours corrected! 

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I look forward to exploring how we can help you.