Ask A Doctor - Chiropractic Care

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Q.
I have chronic daily headaches. Can chiropractic care help?
A.
First we would have to determine what is causing your headaches. Chiropractors are concerned with correcting the cause of headaches, not covering up the pain with drugs. There are many causes of headaches. These include physical trauma, emotions (stress, anger, fear, worry), and chemical toxins (alcohol, drugs, preservatives, pollution, or poor diet). For example, aspartame (marketed as Nutra Sweet or Equal) is an excitotoxin that has been associated with headaches. Also, virtually all medications used to treat headaches can become a cause of headaches, if overused. These headaches are called “rebound” headaches. Consequently, physical, emotional and chemical stressors can also cause subluxations of the spine. A subluxation is a misalignment of a spinal bone that irritates nerves exiting the spine. If nerves in the neck are irritated, headaches may result. If a history and exam reveal you have a subluxation, then chiropractic care to correct that subluxation may improve or eliminate your headaches. Chiropractic has long been successful helping individuals with migraines and headaches. Studies have shown chiropractic care is effective in reducing overall occurrence of headaches and in decreasing the need to use medication.

Q.
Can chiropractic care help fibromyalgia?
A.
Little is known about fibromyalgia. There are no diagnostic laboratory tests for fibromyalgia. There are no medical x-ray findings. The only confirmation of the condition is tenderness to pressure at 11 of 18 points on the body. Studies have found 2 neurologically important substances (substance P and homocysteine), believed to be involved in generating persistent pain with fibromyalgia patients. Both are pathologically elevated in the central nervous system of an individual with fibromyalgia. This indicates fibromyalgia is a disorder of the nervous system rather than strictly a musculoskeletal disorder, as originally thought. Also, those with fibromyalgia often have a history of injury of trauma to the central nervous system. If the nervous system is involved, chiropractic care may help. Our goal is to detect and correct problems with nervous system function. We would perform two tests, Surface Electromyography and Thermography, which detect problems with autonomic and motor nervous system function. If a problem was detected, correcting that problem may improve the condition. Over the years, we have seen great improvements in individuals with this condition. It is not because we treat fibromyalgia, rather when the nervous system function is improved, the condition often improves because the body starts functioning properly.