At one point or another, we’ve all experienced a headache or migraine. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that approximately 50-75% of adults aged 18-64 have had at least one headache in the last year, and 30% have reported at least one migraine. If you’re someone that suffers regularly with headaches or migraines, you know just how hard it is to find relief, and that’s where your integrative healthcare team comes in!
Complementary or Integrative Healthcare has been proven to be an effective addition to more traditional healthcare approaches to headache and migraine management, so if you suffer from regular headaches or chronic migraines here are some of the ways you can manage your pain using your integrative healthcare team!
Visit Your Chiropractor
When we think “chiropractor” we tend to think of the stereotypical “back cracking” kind of treatment, but that’s not always the case. In fact, many chiropractors now will specialize in a certain technique or type of chiropractic and offer a wide variety of therapies; adjustments are just one of them. If you suffer from headaches you may benefit from seeing a chiropractor that specializes in Upper Cervical Care, like Kilian Upper Cervical Chiropractors or a chiropractor that practices Active Release Technique which has been shown to be particularly effective in treating tension-type headaches.
Do Your Stretches!
When you see your chiropractor or physiotherapist they will often prescribe exercises or stretches for your particular complaint. If your practitioner has prescribed you any stretches make sure you do them consistently! Stretches and exercises to address tension and strengthen the specific muscles contributing to your headaches can help with the management of chronic headaches and migraines when practiced regularly. The best part? They only take a few minutes per day!
Get a Massage
Honestly, who would pass up any reason to get a massage? Massage has been proven time and time again to be one of the more effective complementary healthcare approaches to headaches and migraines. In chronic tension-type headaches, massage has actually been proven to help decrease the number of headaches experienced per week, so if you suffer from headaches and migraines you have the perfect excuse for scheduling those regular massage appointments at Kaizen Health Group or with your RMT!
Try Acupuncture
Acupuncture is another complementary healthcare treatment for headaches and migraines that has been getting more and more integration into traditional medicine in recent years. This is mostly due to the extensive research on it’s effectiveness treating chronic pain. Like with many chronic pain conditions, acupuncture has been shown to provide relief from, and help manage frequent headaches and migraines at least as well as certain drug-interventions and is better tolerated and has less side-effects. Acupuncture has become more widely available in recent years, and chances are one of the members of your integrative healthcare team can provide it – you will often find acupuncture offered by physiotherapists, chiropractors, massage therapists or naturopathic doctors.
So if you’re suffering from regular headaches or migraines it may be time to include your integrative healthcare team in your headache management plan!
