HEADACHES & MIGRAINES
HEADACHES & MIGRAINES TREATMENT PERTH
Do you suffer from headaches or migraines that are getting you down?
The pain of a headache can make day-to-day life a miserable challenge, and the ‘common’ headache is commonly overlooked or masked with painkillers like aspirin or Neurofen. This habit can often be a slippery slope as painkillers don’t address the underlying causative factors of a headache and may themselves add to the toxic load within the body.
At Body Genius, we believe that the body is a powerful tool that can overcome many obstacles with a little help.
Our holistic services in Perth are intended to complement the body’s natural healing processes to help you overcome sickness, pain, dysfunction, and other conditions.
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HOW COMMON ARE HEADACHES/MIGRAINES?
A World Health Organization (WHO) report stated that around 47% of adults worldwide will have experienced headache in the last year.
A headache is a way of telling you that something needs to change and that possibly you’ve been pushing yourself a little too hard and not following the ‘Foundation Principles of Health.’
Migraine is also very common affecting at least 1 adult in every 7 in the world. It occurs across all continents, but for reasons not yet known appears to be somewhat less common in the Far East. It is up to 3 times more common in women than men, a pattern seen everywhere.
COMMON TYPES OF HEADACHES
Although there are 150 different types of headaches classified, there are four types of headaches that are most common. These include:
Tension headaches are the most common type of headache among adults and teenagers. They are also known as stress headaches, chronic daily headaches or chronic non-progressive headaches. They cause mild to moderate chronic pain and come and go over time.
Cluster headaches are the most severe, but least common type. The pain is intense and can feel like a burning or piercing pain behind the eyes. Cluster headaches occur in groups over a period of time lasting from a couple of weeks to a couple of months. They may go away for months or years but then come back.
Sinus headaches happen when inflamed sinuses cause pain, pressure or fullness which is usually experienced in your cheeks, forehead, bridge of your nose and behind your eyes. Usually, other sinus symptoms such as a runny nose, fever, pressure in the ears and facial swelling occur at the same time.
Migraine headaches can last from a few hours to a few days. They usually occur one or more times a month. Other symptoms can arise with migraines, including:
- Sensitivity to light
- Noise or smells
- Nausea or vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Upset stomach or belly pain.
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WHAT IS YOUR HEADACHE REALLY TRYING TO TELL YOU?
A secondary headache may be the symptom of a disease, inflammation or underlying patho-physiological problem, and should be investigated by a medical professional to determine the underlying cause.
Some of the more common causes of secondary headaches include: ear infections, Influenza (flu) and other febrile (fever) illnesses, high blood pressure, glaucoma, and concussion. See a doctor if you experience a new onset of headaches or if headaches are associated with:
- Fever
- Stiff neck
- Weakness
- Change in sensation on one side of the body
- Paralysis
- Papilloedema
- Change in vision
- Vomiting
- Change in behaviour
- Drowsiness
- Confusion, memory impairment and loss of consciousness
CHEMICAL TRIGGERS OF HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES
Headaches caused by toxic chemicals can be debilitating, but most people don’t connect the pain with their environment.
The cosmetics, shampoos, lotions and other products we put on our bodies can be just as harmful as anything we put in them.
Ingredients found in face washes, sunscreens, shampoos and body lotions have been linked to everything from headaches and hormonal disruptions to cancer, and what’s worse is that they go directly into your bloodstream when applied to the skin or hair. Exposing yourself to a ‘buffet’ of chemicals on a daily basis could allow these chemicals into your system and increase your chances of ill-health, including headaches.
- Household Cleaners
- Personal Care Products
- Make-up
- Toilet paper, tampons, tissues
It’s not only your skin that comes into contact with these potentially harmful chemicals. Think about some of the most ‘delicate’ areas of your body and consider how you may be exposing them to chemicals: Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, armpits, hands, groin, vagina, penis, anus.
We can blame our toxic environment, the unhealthy things we put inside our bodies and stress for chronic, daily headaches.
- Phthalates
- Perchloroethylene or “PERC”
- Quarternary Ammonium Compounds, or “QUATS”
- Butoxyethanol
- Ammonia
- Chlorine
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
- Parabens
- Petroleum Distillates
SIDE EFFECTS OF MEDICATIONS
According to the Australian Prescriber, the most widely prescribed medical drugs for the year 2015-2016 were as follows:
- Atorvastatin – Cholesterol lowering medication
- Perindopril – Control high blood pressure
- Rosuvastatin – Cholesterol lowering medication
- Amlodipine – Blood pressure lowering drug
- Paracetamol – Painkiller
A quick glance at the side effects for these drugs reveals that each and every one of the most commonly prescribed drugs in Australia has the potential to cause headaches as a side effect.
How many other medications create headaches as a side effect of their use?
A headache is NOT your body’s way of telling you it’s lacking in Neurofen!
Painkillers don’t address the underlying causative factors of a headache and may themselves add to the toxic load within the body.
The literature is clear, the use of NSAIDS for neck pain or headaches carries a hundred-times-greater risk of serious injury or death than cervical adjustments.
- Ibuprofen – Nurofen, Advil and Bugesic
- Diclofenac – Voltaren, Dinac and Fenac
- Naproxen – Naprosyn and Naprogesic
- Celecoxib – Celebrex.
The chance of you been hospitalized from the use of NSAIDS is 1 in 3190 and the chance of you dying from their use is 1 in 21, 267.
NATURAL HEADACHE TREATMENTS
As holistic practitioners, we have always seen marked improvements when individuals make appropriate dietary changes. These changes are a revival of ancient principles, ones that have been lost in modern cultures.
Food acts as a foundation medicine. Although it’s sometimes slower to take effect, it more profoundly affects all systems of the body. If diet is used correctly for health and healing, other medicines and treatments are required less, or not at all.
THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH
- Organic Whole Foods – a whole food diet
- Adequate Hydration
- Quality sleep patterns
- Active Lifestyle
- Mental Health
- Spiritual Health
- Emotional Health
- Optimal Breathing Patterns
With this in mind, it only makes sense that all headache and migraine sufferers should perform an honest and open critique of how well they’re committing to the foundation principles of health and restore balance where appropriate.
This may include phasing out processed foods in favour of organic whole foods, going for a walk for one hundred days in a row, starting an art class, or simply drinking less coffee and tea in favour of more pure water.
Want to learn more?
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WHY CHOOSE THE BODY GENIUS INSTITUTE?
Did you know that the Body Genius Institute has a world-class Integrative Health team?
There are many definitions of ‘Integrative’ health care, but all of them involve bringing ‘conventional’ and ‘complementary’ approaches together in a coordinated fashion.
By joining modern medicine with proven practices from other healing traditions, integrative health practitioners are better able to alleviate pain and suffering, reduce stress, maintain the client’s health and vitality, and enhance their resilience. Most simply put, integrative health offers best practices for optimal health and healing.
- Functional Medicine
- Stool samples
- Blood work
- Saliva Testing
- Hair Mineral Analysis
- Allergy Testing
- Urine analysis
- Genetic Testing
Did you know that Acupuncture and Dry Needling are highly-effective forms of treatment for headache and migraine sufferers?
A 2017 study concluded that “The application of dry needling into trigger points of suboccipital and upper trapezius muscles induces significant improvement of headache index, trigger points tenderness, functional rating index and range of motion in patients with a cervicogenic headache.”
ACUPUNCTURE
A 2002 study evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture versus flunarizine in the prophylactic (prevention) treatment of migraines.
In the acupuncture group, treatments were carried out once per week for two months and then once per month for the next four months. The results demonstrated that frequency of attacks and the use of symptomatic drugs significantly decreased in the acupuncture group.
The results also demonstrated that both the number of attacks and analgesic consumption was significantly lower in the acupuncture group. Pain intensity during an attack was only reduced in the acupuncture group, not the drug therapy group.
There is no ‘one-size fits all’ treatment for headaches!
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LOCATION
The Body Genius Institute is conveniently located in Perth, WA. We are just a few minutes’ drive from the CBD and are easily accessible via public transportation.