Causes And Treatment of Headaches
Many people believe that chiropractors in Seattle only treat symptoms like pain. Chiropractic does provide pain relief. It also treats the root cause of spine alignment and improves the nervous system’s function.
How a headache occurs
The first vertebra at the top of the spine is called C1 or Cervical One, related to the brainstem. Many nerves exit the brainstem, feed into the brain, and control blood flow. Stress leads to a lack of blood flow to the brain. It leads to constricted blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the brain triggering a headache.
stress can trigger headaches
Headaches and most body symptoms occur because of some level of stress. It could be chemical, emotional, mental, or physical environmental stress. Any one of those stressors or a combination of all of them alters the body’s neurophysiology. An altered nervous system affects body health, leading to a headache.
The different types of stress that may trigger headaches include:
- Caffeine because insufficient caffeine for those dependent on it can cause stress
- Alcohol byproducts called congeners and histamine
- Any emotional stress from home or work leading to mental stress
- Some types of foods that trigger food allergies or intolerance
- Poor posture while sitting at the computer
All these triggers cause undue stress to the upper neck or cervical spine. It becomes an issue affecting the nervous system’s communication to the blood vessels and associated areas.
How chiropractic care helps
The bigger picture is how stress affects the nervous system or other systems like the immune system. Another question lies in whether the neck influences the immune system. According to some fascinating research conducted on HIV-positive patients, those adjusted by a chiropractor in the C1 enjoyed a 48% improvement in their immune system function. However, the non-adjusted group experienced an 8% decrease in immune system function over the same period.
Clearing the communication between the brain and all the body tissues enhances immune function. It makes the body healthier and more robust to fight off colds and flu, and other illnesses. Chiropractic does positively impact the entire body, the immune, digestive, and heart systems, everything.
- (206) 783-6000
