Best Way to Cure a Headache

An estimated 27% of women and 14% of men regularly suffer from severe headaches, including migraine headaches — and these percentages don’t include the “nuisance” headaches that we all get from time to time.

Many people manage their headaches with over-the-counter or prescription drugs. Medications provide only temporary relief. With continued use, they frequently cause rebound headaches — the pain returns, sometimes more intensely than before.

Chiropractic care can help. It focuses on spinal adjustment (manipulation) and massage. The American Chiropractic Association reports that up to 14% of patients who see a chiropractor cite headaches as a primary concern. The success rate of treating headaches with chiropractic care can be superior in some cases to pharmaceutical management.

A study in Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics looked at 218 headache patients who were treated either with amitriptyline (an antidepressant commonly used for migraine headaches) or with chiropractic manipulation. Initially, the treatments were equally effective, but only patients in the chiropractic group reported continued benefit one month after the treatments stopped.

Chiropractic Degrees: Achieve Yours

Students interested in earning chiropractic degrees must understand that many chiropractic colleges and schools require prerequisite courses prior to entering their chiropractic degree programs. In general, most chiropractic universities require applicants to have attained previous minimum of 90 semester units in general education, biological and physical sciences, chemistry, psychology, English and humanities. Chiropractic degrees are not that easy to come by - students participating in chiropractic degree programs will quickly discover that these are course-intensive programs that can last up to six calendar years. In accelerated chiropractic degree programs, students can achieve their chiropractic degrees in as little as three years; however this is a rigorous course of study and requires absolute dedication.

Chiropractic degrees and relative chiropractic degree programs include the Doctor of Chiropractic, Bachelor of Science in human biology, as well as Bachelor of Science in public health. Candidates interested in enrolling in chiropractic degree programs should take one of several pre-entry examinations, such as the CLEP (College Level Examination Program) or ACT (American College Training Program) exams to determine educational level prior to applying.

Students pursuing chiropractic degrees will gain intense training and education in a wide assortment of studies including classes in human anatomy, chiropractic biochemistry, biomedical physiology, biomechanics, pathology, cell biology, microbiology, immunology, pharmacology, radiography, chiropractic principles and history, chiropractic skills, physical examination and assessment, and clinical practicum.

In most chiropractic degree programs, students who have successfully achieved their chiropractic degrees will have acquired over 4,200 hours of in-depth studies and training; including combined classroom, clinical and laboratory experience. Successful graduates can and must attain licensure from the state in which they reside. States vary in licensure requirements, so it is of utmost importance that students who have attained their chiropractic degrees have met all prerequisites, educational requirements and credentials set forth by individual state specifications.

If you (or someone you know) are interested in finding quality chiropractic degrees and chiropractic degree programs, let career training within fast-growing industries like massage therapy, cosmetology, acupuncture, oriental medicine, Reiki, and others get you started! Explore career school programs near you.Chiropractic Degrees: Achieve Yours

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Chiropractic for Headache

One of the most commonly treated complaints in chiropractic offices is headache. While there are many types of headaches with varying causes, the most common type is the “Muscular Tension Headache.”

Tension headaches generally result from prolonged contraction of the suboccipital muscles. These muscles bridge the junction between the posterior (back) of the skull and the vertebrae (bones) of the cervical spine (neck). Several mechanisms seem to be involved in the causation of the common headache:

• Muscle inflammation and “trigger points.”
• Joint irritation and nerve compression.
• Dural traction on the spinal cord and brainstem.
• Muscle Inflammation and Trigger Points

Today more than ever people are inclined to sit for hours with contracted postural muscles but without substantial physical activity. When muscles contract they burn fuel and produce waste. Among the waste products of muscle contraction are lactic acid, histamine and bradykinins. These waste products are irritants. If they are not efficiently removed from the muscle they can cause muscular inflammation, pain and accumulate into localized tender areas known as “trigger points.”

These waste products should normally be diluted and removed from the muscle tissue by the circulation. This process relies on the normal “contract - relax” cycle in the muscle. When the muscle contracts it creates a high pressure on the fluids inside the muscle and pushes the blood out carrying away muscular waste products. When the muscle relaxes the pressure falls and blood floods back in carrying vital nutrients and fuel.

When we sit or stand we are using the many back and neck muscles required to support our body. When these muscles are held contracted for a prolonged time (hours spent sitting or standing), they are producing irritative wastes, but not relaxing and draining themselves of these irritants. Over time these irritants can cause the muscles to lose their natural suppleness and resting length becoming stiffened and shortened. These stiffened and shortened muscles, often accompanied by trigger points can cause reflex pain into the neck and head.

>> Joint Irritation and Nerve Compression