Anyone that suffers from migraine headaches can tell you that the throbbing agony you experience is a world apart from simple headache pain. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the incidence of migraine headaches has increased by nearly 60 percent in all age groups in recent years.
Medications May Aggravate the Problem
Many times, the medications doctors prescribe cannot fully relieve the debilitating pain of a migraine, or they simply quit working after a while because they don’t address the fundamental problem of the disorder. Once more, new research shows that people who suffer from migraines may actually increase the frequency and severity of their headaches by taking too much of medications designed to provide immediate pain relief from migraine attacks, such as triptans (including Imitrex, Zomig, and others), opioids, or combination pain relievers, which can lead to medication overuse headaches.Researches say that 53% of people with migraines meet the criteria for preventative treatment based on the frequency and severity of their headaches, but only 5% actually use it to manage their migraines.”We have to recognize that there are preferred modes of treatment for migraine and treatment evolves over time,” says Timothy Pedley, MD, chairman of the Department of Neurology at Columbia University in New York City. “People who are being treated according to something that was current a decade ago are sadly out of date.”
Correcting the Underlying Imbalance
Recent developments in pain management offer hope of relief for those that suffer from migraines. Scientists have uncovered important connections between key chemicals in your brain and nervous system called neurotransmitters and the inflammation and swelling of brain blood vessels that set up migraine attacks. Neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), play a key role in pain transmission. Balancing neurotransmitters can eliminate migraines for good. In our clinic, once the underlying neurotransmitter imbalance is uncovered and addressed (a process that can take 2-4 weeks) it is not uncommon for a client to never have another migraine headache – ever. This approach has yielded a 98% success rate with migraine sufferers. The key is determining the root cause of imbalance; contact us to learn more.
Prevention Works
Rather than treating migraine attacks as they occur, the focus in migraine treatment has now shifted to preventing migraine attacks altogether. Preventative therapy involves using testing, supplements, nutrients, lifestyle changes and therapies daily to prevent migraines vs. using drugs only occasionally to treat attacks. The goals of prevention are to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of migraine attacks. Research also shows that preventative therapy actually reduces overall medication and health-care costs in addition to lowering the risk of medication overuse. For example, a recent study showed that preventative therapy dramatically reduced acute medication use, doctor’s office and emergency room visits, and the use of CT (computerized tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans.
