It’s the heat of summer here in Texas, and the heat can certainly play a big role in the development of headaches or migraines for many people.

Causes of Summertime Headaches

There are a few major reasons why summertime headaches can be more frequent or more intense:

• Dehydration – sufficient water intake is important year-round, but even more so when the temperature rises.   What you’re drinking can also make a difference.  Sticking to water is never a bad idea, and avoid excessive intake of soda and other caffeinated beverages.
• Fragrances or chemicals in sunscreen – if sensitivity to odors is a known trigger to your headaches or migraines, use caution when choosing sunscreen, insect repellant, and other scented summer products.
• Bright, intense sunlight – investing in some good sunglasses can relieve strain on your eyes that may lead to a headache.  A baseball cap or visor can also work to shield your eyes from the brightness of the sun.

Regardless of the season or cause of your headaches or migraines, getting to the cause of their occurrence is important to understand how to prevent them from returning in the future.  Sometimes it’s as simple as upping your water intake on an especially hot day.  Other times, there is an underlying spinal cause to headaches and migraines that lies in the upper two bones in the neck, just underneath the skull.

In McKinney, TX, headache expert Dr. Terry Crowder helps people get lasting relief from their headaches without the need for pharmaceutical or other invasive interventions.  As an upper cervical specific chiropractor, Dr. Crowder focuses on making sure the vertebra at the top of the neck are aligned properly and not causing any interference to nervous system function.  Even a very small misalignment in this area of the spine can cause a disruption of blood flow and nervous system impairment that can easily cause a headache or migraine.  Dr. Crowder’s methods are safe, gentle, effective, and above all, a lasting solution.

REFERENCE SITE:

http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/tools-254342-5.html

To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Crowder, call our McKinney office at 972-449-5845. You can also click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.

Meniere’s disease is a disorder of the inner ear that usually has four hallmark symptoms – severe dizziness (vertigo), ringing in the ear (tinnitus), loss of hearing, and a feeling of fullness in the ear.  The dizziness associated with Meniere’s can be severe and can either come on without warning or after a short period of tinnitus or muffled hearing.  In some people with Meniere’s, the vertigo is so extreme that it may cause them to lose their balance and fall – episodes known as drop attacks.

The symptoms of Meniere’s disease are caused by an excessive buildup of fluid in the inner ear.  A properly functioning inner ear allows us to balance and sense where our body is in relationship to our surroundings.  Receptors in the inner ear are what send the brain signals about our body’s every motion.  In people with Meniere’s buildup of excess fluid interferes with those signals ad can trigger vertigo and other associated symptoms.

To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and vertigo, download our complimentary e-book by clicking the image below.

To treat Meniere’s disease, doctors will oftentimes prescribe medications designed for motion sickness and nausea.  Diuretics are often used in an attempt to reduce fluid retention in hopes of relieving some of that pressure on the structures of the inner ear.  Dietary recommendations include reducing intake of salt and caffeine, both contributors in fluid retention.  While some of these treatments may help provide some symptomatic relief, they don’t truly address the cause of why the condition is allowed to persist.

Upper cervical chiropractor Dr. Terry Crowder is a vertigo expert who understands what may be the root cause of vertigo and other conditions associated with dizziness.  Using highly specific analysis and technique, Dr. Crowder looks for subtle misalignments in the cervical vertebra that can be placing undue stress on the brainstem.  Once those misalignments are corrected, normal neurological function is allowed to resume, and this oftentimes provides relief to vertigo sufferers once the affected tissues are allowed to stabilize and heal.

REFERENCE SITES:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menieres-disease/basics/lifestyle-home-remedies/con-20028251

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/balance/pages/meniere.aspx

To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Crowder, call our McKinney office at 972-449-5845. You can also click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.

Migraines can be a debilitating condition that contributes to significant losses in productivity and quality of life.  Migraine is the most common neurological condition in the developed world, with a prevalence greater than diabetes, epilepsy, and asthma combined.1

It is interesting to read about people in the limelight, such as professional athletes and musicians, who have battled with migraines.  At times, detrimental impacts on their performance, or prevented them from performing at all.  Here are a few examples:2

• Tennis star Serena Williams lost a tournament match while experiencing a migraine related to her menstrual cycle.  About 60% of women state that they worsen during their periods, likely connected to hormonal changes taking place.
• In 2006, while directing Gone, Baby, Gone, director Ben Affleck ended up in the hospital following a severe migraine.  While migraines most commonly affect women, about 6% of men can experience them as well.  He attributed this particularly bad episode to lack of a regular sleep schedule during filming.
• Singer Janet Jackson cancelled a string of concerts in 2008 due to vestibular migraines.  People with vestibular migraines also experience vertigo (dizziness) along with the pain associated with a migraine.  It is estimated that about 30% of people with migraines experience dizziness or vertigo as well.

One thing all of these people may have in common is a specific spinal misalignment that is often found to be the underlying cause of migraines, no matter which type.  In McKinney, TX, migraine expert Dr. Terry Crowder looks for these specific misalignments in the upper part of the neck, at the C1 or C2 vertebrae.  These two vertebrae, when out of alignment, can contribute to lack of proper blood flow and nervous system dysfunction.  In a study of 100 migraine patients under upper cervical chiropractic care, some attained relief in as little as one adjustment.3  Using precise adjustments only when necessary, Dr. Crowder is able to assist migraine sufferers in reclaiming their quality of life in a completely natural manner.

REFERENCES:

1. Migraine Trust. Migraine statistics. [homepage on the Internet]. 2014 [cited 2015 Jul 3]. Available from: http://www.migrainetrust.org/key-statistics
2. WebMD. Celebrity slideshow: Famous people with migraines. [homepage on the Internet]. 2014 [cited 2015 Jul 3]. Available from: http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/ss/slideshow-celebrity-migraines
3. Elster EL. Upper cervical chiropractic care for a patient with chronic migraine headaches with an appendix summarizing an additional 100 headache cases. J Vert Sublux Res 2003;AUG(3):1-10.

To schedule a complimentary consultation with Dr. Crowder, call our McKinney office at 972-449-5845. You can also click the button below.

If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com.