Chiropractic care....helping with headaches
It is estimated that between 75-90% of the population experience one or
more headaches every year. Most of these will be benign and mildly
annoying. However, some will be debilitating and have a significant impact
on wellbeing. Fortunately, very few headaches have a sinister cause.
Chiropractors are well trained to recognise the ‘red flags’ of more
serious problems and refer appropriately.
Headaches are so common that most people think getting a headache is a
normal part of everyday life. This is simply not true. Headaches are a
sign that something is wrong. While some people may just pop a pill,
chiropractors encourage addressing the cause, not just covering up the
symptom.
In 2007, the International Headache Society agreed upon an updated
classification system for headache. Headaches were classified into
Primary, Secondary or Cranial Neuralgias and other headaches. Primary
headaches include:
Tension Headache
This is the most common type of headache. It is often described as
‘hatband’ tightness around the forehead, temples and back of head. Tension
headaches are thought to be brought on by fatigue and stress, as well as
tightness in the neck and jaw region.
Migraine headache
Migraine can begin as a dull ache that develops into a constant
throbbing pain felt in the temple or retro-orbital (behind the eye) area.
The pain is often accompanied by sensitivity to light (photophobia) and
sound (phonophobia). Often there is a period before the actual headache
when the patient may experience blurred vision or ‘zig zag’ lines in the
vision, pins and needles or numbness. This is known as an ‘aura’ and is a
symptom of a Classic Migraine. When the headache is experienced without a
preceding aura, it is called a Common Migraine.
Some of the triggers for migraines include family history, stress, lack
of sleep or over-sleeping, missing a meal, certain medications, caffeine,
alcohol and hormonal changes.
Cluster Headache
These are characterised by clusters of short-lived attacks of severe
pain, usually around the eye. They are more common in men and there may
be many months in between clusters.
How does chiropractic help?
Chiropractic is a recognised health choice for headaches. One of the
most common triggers for headache is imbalance in the cervical spine.
These headaches are known as ‘cervicogenic’ – literally ‘from the
neck’.
In one Macquarie University study, the approach of correcting spinal
imbalances in the neck and upper back with chiropractic care was tested in
patients with chronic migraines. The results showed that specific
chiropractic adjustments decreased the severity of migraines in 72% of
patients. The frequency, duration, disability and amount of medication
were also reduced.
Your chiropractor will also be interested in how your lifestyle may be
affecting your headaches. Stress reduction, breathing exercises,
improving diet, certain supplements and drinking plenty of water may all
be helpful.
Pasta and Noodles are increasingly popular
Pasta and noodles have become
everyday foods for many people. Nutritionally they are high in
carbohydrates with some protein and
almost no fat. Pasta and noodles are wrongly thought by some to be
“fattening”. This is not so. It is the addition of oil, butter, cream, or
fatty meat that adds unwanted calories and gives pasta and noodle dishes
an unfair reputation.
There is little difference between pasta and noodles. They have similar
ingredients and production methods. “Pasta” is an Italian word meaning
dough or paste. Dough is usually made from wheat flour mixed with water.
Eggs may be added. The dough is then cut into traditional shapes such as
long round strands – spaghetti, flat ribbons – fettuccine and tubes –
penne.
For those who need extra fibre in their diet, wholemeal and high-fibre
varieties of pasta are available.
Noodles originated in Asia. They can be made from wheat, rice, buckwheat
and mung beans. Noodles made from wheat often have eggs added. Wheat and
rice noodles are made in a variety of thicknesses. Buckwheat is used to
make soba noodles. Often a small amount of wheat flour is added to these
noodles. Mung beans are used to make glass or cellophane noodles.
Pasta and noodles can be used fresh or dried. If fresh, they need to be
used within 2-3 days. When dried, they can be stored for a long time. Most
pasta and noodle products are packaged with cooking instructions. It is
important not to overcook them.
Congratulations to Dr Chantal Taylor, the winner of our Recipe
Competition!
Warm Ravioli Salad with a Bite!
(serves 4-6)
250g uncooked ravioli (or replace with another pasta for
vegetarians)
1 whole broccoli
200g feta cheese (Australian Cow’s Feta)
½ cup fresh basil
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
100g semi-dried tomatoes
1 Spanish (purple) onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
Cook ravioli in a large saucepan of boiling water until just tender but
still firm to bite (about 4-5 minutes), then set aside. Cut broccoli
florets in half and steam for about 10 minutes until tender. Using a
lightly oiled pan, gently fry chopped onion and crushed garlic until they
become translucent.
In a large mixing bowl, gently mix onion, garlic, broccoli, ravioli,
semi-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes (chopped in half), sweet chilli sauce
and finely chopped basil. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add 1cm cubes of
feta on top. Garnish with extra basil and sprinkle with pepper if
desired.
Myth vs. Fact
Myth:
All I need to know about my spine I can see on an X-ray.
Fact:
X-rays are useful diagnostic tools used often by chiropractors. The
advantage of having an X-ray is that it is a relatively cheap test that
can give useful information about bone and joint structure. Scoliosis
(side curvature of the spine) and other postural changes are easily
visible on X-ray. In addition to helping rule out serious disease, an
X-ray can check for congenital anomalies (birth variants) that might
occur. An example of this is ‘congenital block vertebrae’. Even to a
chiropractor’s skilled hands this might feel like a mechanical joint
restriction - not allowing one vertebra (spinal bone) to move properly in
relation to another. An X-ray, however, may show that the two vertebrae
are actually fused together and have been so since birth.
Arthritic change, such as osteoarthritis, is visible on X-ray. This
will show as a narrowing and roughening at the joints between the bony
surfaces. The presence of arthritic change can give clues as to how long
a problem may have been there and what chiropractic techniques are likely
to be most helpful.
Like all tests, X-rays have their limitations. Although significant
osteoporosis (thinning of bone) can be seen on X-ray, this test is not
particularly sensitive as bone density loss needs to be up to 30% before
it is easily identified. The more specialised ‘DEXA’ scan can pick up as
little as 1% loss.
Although a loss in disc height can be seen on X-ray, a disc bulge or
prolapse cannot be visualised. The more expensive and specialised CT
(computerised tomography) or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans are
much better at viewing disc and other soft tissue problems.
The long-term benefits of chiropractic care
No one thinks it’s odd when the dentist recommends a regular visit to
maintain good oral health. Nor do people find it peculiar when their
optometrist suggests regular visits to maintain good visual health. Still
many people are puzzled when their chiropractor recommends regular visits
to maintain good spinal health for as long as possible.
Of course when you are suffering with low back pain, neck pain or
tension headache, it is completely understandable that you have one
overriding goal – to stop the pain. However, once this short-term goal
has been accomplished, it is time to consider your long-term spinal health
goals. In formulating your long-term goals, it is essential to understand
that spinal health is about more than getting rid of pain. Spinal health
has a long-term impact on every function affected by the spinal nerves,
which influence every organ system in your body. Some biological functions
that seem to benefit from improved spinal health include reaction time,
balance and general wellbeing.
Breathing is another good example of a function most people do not
associate with spinal health. In one case study, a 53-year old man with a
20-year history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, was shown to
have improved forced vital lung capacity measured 14 months after
beginning chiropractic care (forced vital lung capacity is the amount of
air that can be forcibly exhaled in one complete breath).
The long-term implications of the link between chiropractic care and
lung volumes cannot be overemphasized. In most adults, even those without
pulmonary disease, lung volumes do not improve over time. In fact, lung
volumes generally decline with age. Lower than normal lung volumes are
associated with shorter life spans. More specifically, depressed lung
volumes have recently been linked to increased risk of stroke, heart
attack, and other potentially life-shortening cardiovascular problems.
Conversely, the better your lung volumes, the longer your lifespan is
expected to be. Regular exercise is also essential in developing and
maintaining good lung volumes.
You are the boss when it comes to deciding how long you wish to benefit
from chiropractic care. In the short run, it would be great to relieve
pain. Chiropractic care can be useful in helping most people achieve this
short-term goal of spinal health. In the long run, it would be great to
retain as much lung capacity, reaction time, balance, and general
wellbeing as possible. Consider this when your chiropractor recommends
regular follow-up visits.
Laughter is the best medicine!!
Optimist vs. Pessimist
A family had twin boys whose only resemblance to each other was their
looks. If one felt it was too hot, the other thought it was too cold. If
one said the TV was too loud, the other claimed the volume needed to be
turned up. Opposite in every way, one was an eternal optimist, the other a
doom and gloom pessimist.
Just to see what would happen, on the twins’ birthday their father
loaded the pessimist’s room with every imaginable toy and game. The
optimist’s room he loaded with horse manure.
That night the father passed by the pessimist’s room and found him
sitting amid his new gifts crying bitterly.
“Why are you crying?” the father asked.
“Because my friends will be jealous, I’ll have to read all these
instructions before I can do anything with this stuff, I’ll constantly
need batteries, and my toys will eventually get broken,” answered the
pessimist twin.
Passing the optimist twin’s room, the father found him dancing for joy
in the pile of manure. “What are you so happy about?” he asked.
To which his optimist twin replied, “With all this horse manure, there’s
got to be a pony in here somewhere!”
Yoga can help with low back pain
Chiropractors have long been fans of yoga. The idea of connecting with
your inner being through meditative stretching, balance and core exercise,
sits very well within the chiropractic approach to health.
A 2009 study published in the prestigious journal Spine looked at the
effectiveness and efficacy of the Iyengar style of yoga for chronic low
back pain (CLBP). In total, 90 subjects were randomized to either a yoga
(n = 43) or control group (n = 47) receiving standard medical care.
Participants were followed for 6 months after completion of the
intervention.
Yoga subjects participated in 24 weeks of bi-weekly yoga classes
designed for CLBP. Outcomes were assessed at 12 (midway), 24 (immediately
after), and 48 weeks (6-month follow-up) after the start of the
intervention. The results showed that yoga improves functional disability,
pain intensity, and depression in adults with CLBP. There was also a
clinically important trend for the yoga group to reduce their pain
medication usage compared to the control group.
Life is movement. Chiropractic is all about freeing up restriction in
the body, in particular the spine, that prevents proper movement. This
alters nerve function and ultimately health expression. Combining your
chiropractic adjustments with yoga and other forms of exercise is a great
way of getting the most from your body.
Thin thighs and increased heart disease
Many people are aware that oversized abdomens (above 100cm for men and
above 90 cm for women) carry a greater risk of heart disease. According
to the British Medical Journal, when it comes to the thighs, the opposite
might be true. A study looked at 1436 men and 1380 women in Denmark. All
participants were examined for height, weight, and thigh, hip, and waist
circumference. The incidence of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease
was then measured 12.5 years later.
The results showed a small thigh circumference (<60cm) was associated
with an increased risk of heart disease and total mortality in both men
and women. Above the threshold of 60cm there seemed to be no additional
benefit of having larger thighs in either sex.
The researchers suggested the reduced thigh circumference might be
related to too little muscle mass in the region. Once again it comes back
to exercise and its value to whole body health. Chiropractors often
recommend exercise such as squats, lunges and stair climbing to build
strength in the hips and thighs and prevent osteoporosis. It seems there
is now another clear reason to push on with those squats!
Season’s Greetings!
We wish all our patients, family and friends a happy, safe and
prosperous holiday season!
