Migraines… What Migraines?

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I remember it like it was yesterday. I was sixteen and was performing at camp with my high school pom squad. All of a sudden, I couldn’t hear the music and my vision became blurry. I somehow managed to finish the routine and promptly collapsed on the floor when we left the gym. My head hurt… like nothing I had ever experienced before. 

It wasn’t long before I was diagnosed with migraine headaches. And with migraines, come medications. LOTS of medications. I not only took prescription meds when I was experiencing a migraine, but I also took a daily medication to help prevent them. I shudder to think of the long-term effects these meds have had on my body. But what else could I do? Migraines are debilitating. If I didn’t take the meds, I couldn’t function. 

In 2005, I started going to a chiropractor that my mother recommended. I initially went for help with the curve in my spine and pain in my hands. Who knew that the first visit would change my life? After x-raying my neck and back, he asked if I had ever been in a car accident. I was in an accident when I was 13. Upon impact, I hit the windshield headfirst. This trauma was apparently so severe that I sustained a serious whiplash injury called “reverse neck.” As I was looking at my x-ray, I could actually see what he was talking about. Why didn’t the doctors mention this before? Great question! Throughout my life I have had numerous x-rays and MRIs (to rule out brain tumors) and no one told me what was wrong… until I met my chiropractor. 

Within 6 months, I was off all of my migraine meds. Depending on my stress levels, I only get 2 – 3 migraines each year. Which is no longer a big deal, because I go straight to my chiropractor who adjusts it out of me. UNBELIEVABLE! I was medicated daily for 16 years of my life… and it was completely unnecessary.

Let me clarify a few things:

1. I am in no way anti-Western medicine. I am so very thankful for the medical community! They save lives and bring relief to people every day. We would be a mess without them.
2. I AM against lazy medicine. I know doctors are over-worked and have to deal with insurance companies. But there has to be a way that we can do a better job of finding the cause of problems instead of just masking symptoms with medications.
3. Not all chiropractors are created equal. There are good ones and there are bad ones (just like with anything). There are also several different styles. My chiropractor went to Palmer Chiropractic College. He is a sports chiropractor who uses the following 3 methods: Gonstead, Diversified & Thompson. According to him, one method is NOT enough. They are taught all 3. If one doesn't work, they need to use the others to clear stuff.
4. Whiplash is NOT the cause of everyone’s migraines, so a chiropractor might not be able to help everyone.

The point is: You don’t have to settle for one person’s opinion regarding your healthcare. Be proactive. Do some research and don’t stop until you find the real cause of what ails you.