The randomised clinical trial was undertaken by Dr Peter Tuchin, a chiropractor with over 20 years experience as part of his PhD thesis at Macquarie University.
123 migraine sufferers participated in the study, narrowed down from around 1000 applicants. The group was divided into a treatment group who received chiropractic care, and a control group who were told they were receiving a form of electrical physical therapy.
"Both groups kept a record of their migraines for the whole six months, noting down how often they got them, how severe they were, how long they lasted, and if there was anything they could think of that contributed to them," Tuchin explained. "For two months prior to any treatment, they just diarised their migraines, followed by two months of treatment and then two months of post-treatment."
"Around 22 percent of patients had substantial reduction - which means that more than 60 percent of their symptoms reduced during the course of the treatment," Tuchin says. "What makes this a really strong result is that this was a really chronic group - the average length of time they'd had migraines was 18 years. To get a change of that sort of magnitude in a really chronic group was quite amazing."
"Another 50 percent had quite noticeable improvement. They either found that the frequency of the migraines was less, the length of time they had them was less or that they didn't need to use their medications as much. This last result is very significant because some of the migraine medications are very strong drugs which have lots of side effects. Some of the migraine medications also have the problem of giving instant relief to the migraines, but creating another ‘rebound migraine' the next day."
Despite this study, some medical practitioners still dispute the ability of chiropractic care to help migraine sufferers. However, Tuchin believes this is a fast-diminishing group.
"I think the vast majority of medical practitioners are now open to chiropractic, but there's a very small percentage who don't realise what developments we've had, what inroads we've made," Tuchn said.
The Spinal Centre comment:
Headaches affect many millions of Australians - between 75 and 90 percent of the population suffer from one or more headaches in any one year.
The majority of headaches and migraines are general associated with problems in the upper spine, and resulting muscle tension in the neck.
With our increasingly sedentary lives, most of us are stuck in one position for most of the day, and the longer we spend in one fixed position, the greater the strain and joint irritation in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.
Many people (and many of my patients) have found relief and correction with chiropractic care. If a thorough examination reveals reduced range of motion, loss of normal spine curves, or mechanical restrictions, chiropractic care should be considered.
Acupuncture is also another option relief of migraines and headaches. In recent studies, it was found to the pain and associated symptoms quite dramatically, and in a relatively short amount of time.
Besides problems in the neck, headaches and migraines can have many triggers. This long list can include foods, environmental (noise, lights, stress etc), lack of sleep, blood sugar changes... the list goes on.
A big factor in the onset of headaches and migraines is dehydration. You must drink at least 20ml of water per kilo of body weight EVERYDAY. For example, a 70 kilogram person must drink 1.4 litres of water at a bare minimum everyday. Educate yourself on how much water you should be drinking, and take a proactive approach to preventing your next headache.
Food triggers also feature highly on the causes list. Foods like alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, soft drinks, highly processed foods and ‘fast' foods deplete the body's water, vitamin and mineral stores, paving the way for headaches.
- Health promoting nutrition
- Why change our diet?
- Diabesity
- Eating to reduce inflammation
- Five of the worst foods you can eat
Supplementing with a good quality magnesium has been shown in recent studies to dramatically reduce the onset and severity of headaches, as well as reducing muscle spasming, cramping and soreness. Most people are magnesium deficient, and by supplementing daily, you can prevent many conditions that will cause you pain and ill health.
What else can I do?
- If you spend a large amount of time in one position (for example, sitting at a desk all day), take a break every 30 minutes and stretch. If you stare at a computer all day, ensure that every few minutes you look away from the computer to prevent eye strain.
- Exercise daily. Low-impact exercise will ensure you stay fit and healthy, and will also help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches by boosting serotonin levels. If you are prone to throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise and engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics. (Read article "Stretching and Exercise")
- Don't clench your teeth - this results in stress in the jaw and leads to headaches.
- Make sure you drink plenty of water!
