Migraines

Strong bones are important for all of us, not only for the aging baby boomers about whom we are hearing so much lately. And, “strong bones” are much more than a marketing ploy cooked-up by the dairy industry and pharmaceutical companies.

Bones are incredibly dynamic. They are constantly reshaping themselves in response to physical forces. Bones provide structure for our bodies, and they carry our weight around as we move from place to place. Long bones such as the thigh bone act as factories to produce blood cells. So, bones are an important part of our overall health and well-being.

Lots can go wrong when your bones aren’t strong. If you suddenly fall onto an outstretched arm, you will probably be OK if your bones are healthy. If not, you’ll probably be in a cast for four weeks to help repair a wrist or forearm fracture.

If an older person falls, hip fractures are the main concern. A fit, healthy person can usually walk away. With weakened bones, hip fractures may result in many other problems, both immediately and long-term.

Bones lose their strength due to a calcium imbalance and/or not enough physical exercise. For most of us, these factors can be corrected. The best approach is to be proactive and ensure enough calcium in the diet and regular exercise.

How much calcium and how much exercise? Recommended daily calcium requirements1 vary, and 1000 mg per day is a good ballpark amount. Dairy products are the best natural source of calcium, and dark leafy greens such as spinach and broccoli, as well as dried beans, are also good sources. Vitamin/mineral supplements typically provide 25-50% of the daily calcium requirement.

Regarding exercise, both the American Heart Association and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week. This maytake some effort and planning, particularly if regular exercise is a new addition to one’s routine. By making the effort and spending the time, we’re saying “yes” to health and wellness, empowering ourselves as well as our family and friends.

Importantly, regular exercise in combination with sufficient dietary calcium is the key. Taking calcium alone will not be effective in maintaining strong bones. Unless long bones are undergoing consistent mechanical stresses, as with exercise, there is no need for them to use the calcium that’s available. Exercise plus calcium makes the difference!

Core strengthening is a hot topic in the world of fitness - Pilates training and its offshoots. But the principles of core strengthening have been around for many decades - dancers, gymnasts, boxers, and wrestlers have been doing these things all along. Only the term “core fitness” is new.

As it turns out core fitness is critically important for all of us. By adding a handful of core exercises - 10 minutes at most - to your regular routine, you will profoundly improve the mechanics of your lower back, hips, and pelvis. And, these remarkable exercises improve the efficiency of your heart and lungs. A very big “bang” for your exercise “buck”!

Your chiropractor will be able to provide expert advice and guidance on these nutritional- and exericise-related topics. Daly RM, et al. Long-term effects of calcium-vitamin-D3 fortified milk on bone geometry and strength in older men. Bone 39(4):946-953, 2006. 2Haskell WL, et al. Physical Activity and Public Health. Updated Recommendations for Adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. American Heart Association, 2007. 3Akuthota V, Nadler SF. Core strengthening. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 85(3 Suppl 1):S86-92, 2004.

The New Food Pyramid - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently released a new, more individualized, food pyramid called MyPyramid. The USDA is offering many tools and tips on www.mypyramid.com. The traditional food groups include grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and meat and beans. An important new category, Physical Activity, has been added to the overall pyramid. Sample menus, vegetarian diets, and tips for eating out are part of the informative and fun materials provided by the USDA. “MyPyramid for Kids” reminds kids to be physically active every day and to make healthy food choices. “MyPyramid for Kids” posters and coloring pages are available for downloading on the MyPyramid site. “Steps to a Healthier Weight”, dietary guidelines, and detailed information for pregnancy and breastfeeding are included, as well as steps for outlining personalized MyPyramid Plans.

People often wonder about taking vitamins. Should I bother? Are they worth the money? Which ones should I take? In order, the answers are yes, yes, and ask your chiropractor to recommend the brand best for you.

Why should I take vitamins at all? The purpose of supplementation is to cover all bases — to make sure they’re covered. How can you be sure your diet contains all the cofactors and trace minerals needed to make your metabolism work correctly? And what about all the antioxidants that fight free radical formation and the phytonutrients that seem to have so much benefit in cancer prevention?

It would take a lot of effort to be certain that your diet contained sufficient iodine, magnesium, selenium, chromium, folate, and vitamins B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), and B12 (cyanocobalamin).Taking a supplement guarantees that these requirements have been met. It’s simple, safe, and efficient in terms of both time and cost.

Which brand of supplementation is best? There’s no right answer here, it’s more of a practical decision. You’ll know if a specific brand is right if you feel healthier and more energetic after taking it regularly for four to six weeks. You chiropractor will assist you by providing expert information and recommendations. There are no peer-reviewed, hard statistical data suggesting that one brand is superior. “Results” here are qualitative, not quantitative. The important point is that vitamin/mineral supplementation is necessary to ensure optimal metabolic functioning and physical well-being.

What about using specific supplements for specific things, such as taking calcium supplements after a bone-density study has revealed loss of bone mass (osteoporosis)? Is this an effective therapy? Well, in the postmenopausal setting if you’re not exercising, the calcium you take will simply be excreted. Completely useless. On the other hand, if you are exercising or begin an exercise program, the additional calcium will be useful in providing raw material for stronger bones, built in response to the stress of exercise.

What about calcium supplementation for younger women? Again, exercise is the key to forestalling osteoporosis. Of course, this includes taking sufficient daily calcium. The recommended daily requirement for calcium is 1000-1200 mg. So, a vitamin/mineral supplement supplies 500 mg. A cup of yogurt adds another 250 mg. A glass of skim milk or a piece of low-fat cheese adds another 250 mg. Non-dairy sources of calcium include calcium-fortified orange juice, spinach, turnips, and sardines (with the bones). So, dietary sources plus your vitamin/mineral supplements provide close to the recommended dose.

Additional calcium tablets or pills can make up the difference.

Vitamin/mineral supplements are important for busy people. Supplementation ensures a consistent, optimal dose of necessary nutrients. Balanced nutrition, in combination with regular exercise, will help provide vibrant, glowing good health.

1Rosen CJ: Clinical practice. Postmenopausall osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 353(6):595-603, 2005 2Swanenburg J, et al: Effects of exercise and nutrition on postural balance and risk of falling in elderly people. Clin Rehabil 21(6):523-34, 2007 3Speckerr B, Vukovich M: Evidence for an interaction between exercise and nutrition for improved bone health during growth. Med Sport Sci 51:50-63, 2007

Tobacco acts as a precipitating factor for headaches, specifically migraines. This is indicated in a study which shows that smokers have more migraine attacks and that smoking more than five cigarettes a day triggers this headache. The work has appeared in The Journal of Headache and Pain. The influence of tobacco as a precipitating, non-causal factor of migraine attacks has produced contradictory data in scientific literature.

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Tobacco acts as a precipitating factor for headaches, specifically migraines. This is indicated in a study which shows that smokers have more migraine attacks and that smoking more than five cigarettes a day triggers this headache. The work has appeared in the Journal of Headache and Pain. The influence of tobacco as a precipitating, non-causal factor of migraine attacks has produced contradictory data in scientific literature.

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Headaches are a widespread problem in the United States, affecting roughly 45 million people. Migraine headaches affect millions of Americans each year they are the most common type of headache that sends patients running to their doctor’s office. Migraines occur when constricting blood vessels in the brain cause intense, recurring vascular headaches. Like other forms of headaches, women suffer from migraines more frequently than men.

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I love hearing from my clients who express feedback about my programs and also share either a personal story or ask a question about a specific health issue I may not have yet covered. Most recently, a client wrote to me asking about my Vertigo and Dizziness program and my Migraine and Headache relief program. Specifically, what to do when experiencing vertigo and migraine at the same time.

At first blush, the two may not seem to be related but upon closer inspection, they very likely could be. Migraine can affect between 10-30 percent of the population. Vertigo, in its basic definition means dizziness.

This means that vertigo is generally a symptom of a larger medical issue, not always known. There are actually several causes but the most common type of vertigo is BPPV (benign paroxysmal positional vertigo). This is where one suddenly becomes dizzy just by moving ones head in a certain position. It is not, therefore such a surprise that MAV (Migraine Associated Vertigo) is a very real condition.

Some of the most common symptoms of MAV include-seeing colors, lights, spots, hearing voices, experiencing numbness and auras.

Vertigo associated with migraine is generally experienced right before the headache or during the headache. This can last for a few minutes to a day.

Most people who experience vertigo need several hours of rest in order to recover from the dizziness. This generally is already happening as migraine sufferers tend to feel better in quiet dark places like a bedroom.

For some, only dizziness and an aura are felt, not a headache. Experts still consider this to be MAV, especially if an aura is experienced or the individual has suffered from migraines in the past.

There is no set test for MAV and your doctor will need to rule out other diseases which may share symptoms such as Menieres disease. He or she will also track how you respond to therapy.

Trigger foods for migraine headache sufferers include MSG, chocolate, alcohol and cheese and should be avoided if they bring about migraines.

There are various medicines available, including prescription drugs, to treat migraines but all of them have their fare share of side effects, even the over the counter drugs. One common theme among migraine sufferers is that they report a rebound effect of the drugs. One headache is replaced by another.

Like migraines, the cause for associated vertigo is also, as of yet, undefined. One theory that is becoming more accepted, though, that there is a disorder surrounding a gene responsible for the perception of pain which could account for migraines and the associated vertigo.

Many professionals (including me) also believe that the cause of migraine and vertigo is a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain. Likewise, MAV sufferers are basically having their brains suffocated and the ensuing pain and dizziness are the result.

If you are suffering from MAV or migraine headaches, please try my Migraine and Headache Relief program. If vertigo alone is the culprit, I highly recommend my Vertigo and Dizziness program.

My programs are all natural and easy enough for anyone to do. These programs are designed to deliver oxygen to the brain in order for you to be headache and vertigo free!

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There are several types of headaches, and the medical community has established a definite set of categories for each. The vast majority of headaches fall into the primary category. Primary headaches afflict millions every day, and are not a serious or life threatening issue. Primary headaches can occasionally become very painful, or can become a chronic problem.

Although this isn’t life threatening, it can be a serious impediment to quality of life. Fixing these Headache Types can be crucial to restoring enjoyment of daily life activities. Correcting issues regarding primary headaches can usually be done with the use of over the counter medications.

Cluster headaches are a far more serious kind of headache that can seriously debilitate a patient if not treated. Although not life threatening in itself, the associated is very serious and often debilitating. Cluster headaches are so called because they occur in chronological groupings, and can be very hard to predict. This results in treatment that is difficult to apply, resulting in attacks that usually cannot be avoided.

A cluster headache can disable an individual, so great is the pain. Pain typically focuses behind one or both eyes. Patients may undergo a pain crisis when presented with a cluster headache. Treatment of this pain should be the immediate and overriding concern. Over the counter medications may do little to help under these circumstances.

Secondary headaches are far rarer, and signify an underlying issue. As the name implies, a secondary headache results from another issue. Secondary headaches result from a problem in the brain that may or may not be life threatening. In the most serious of cases, a secondary headache can be a sign of a brain tumor. There are dozens of other possible secondary headache causes. Regular headaches should be a sign to see the doctor.

The vast majority of Headache Types suffered fit into the primary headache category. As many as 90% of primary headaches result from the “tension” variety of headache. A tension headache occurs when the muscles over the skull contract tightly, putting a painful amount of pressure on the head. The pain can typically be felt around the temples and around the eyes. Relief can usually be found with a variety of over the counter medications.

Middle-aged women who had migraine headaches with aura (sensory disturbances, such as with vision, balance or speech) had a higher prevalence of brain lesions when they were older, compared to individuals without similar types of headaches, according to a study in the June 24 issue of JAMA. Migraine is a common neurovascular disorder that affects approximately 11 percent of adults and is more common in women than men.

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Women who have migraines with aura may be more likely to have a stroke or heart attack than women who don’t have the condition, and the association varies by migraine frequency, according to research published in the June 24, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. An aura is a visual or other sensory disturbance that occurs before the migraine starts, such as seeing bright lights.

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There are a few side effects that come hand in hand with being pregnant. Here we look at headaches and pregnancy.

The increase in frequency of headaches while pregnant is considered to be due to additional blood flow and changes to your hormones. Other factors, such as increased in stress levels and excess caffeine, also contribute.

Almost 20% of women will incur headaches during their pregnancy, although in most cases they will find they will happen less in the latter months of the pregnancy.

Various non drug measures can help alleviate the headaches including being in a dark room, cold packs, soothing and sleep.

Tension can cause headaches. if this is the case you can apply cold compresses to the back of your neck. Ensuring you have a healthy diet, possibly across a lot of smaller meals during the day can also help.

For sinus headaches, you can put a warm compress to your head in places like the front of your face and on each side of your nose, the centre of the forehead and temples.

Close your eyes and think of being in a peaceful place as a reduction in stress will help you have a healthy pregnancy. Doctors, therapists and counselors can also offer good advice if the methods you are trying to reduce stress are not working.

Contact your doctor prior to consuming any medication, even over the counter ones like ibuprofen and aspirin. acetaminophen can be safe to take while pregnant, although it is still better to consult your doctor first.