I don't want to live a life in pain
When Eloise Hayford began suffering from migraines at 14 years of age, her mother thought she would grow out of them. But quite quickly Eloise’s mother could see how they were affecting her daughter’s school attendance and performance. Not only that but her mood and motivation dropped. Eloise used to enjoy playing netball with her friends but with migraines attacking her, she wasn’t able to enjoy playing the game she used to love.
Skip forward to Eloise’s university years and the same pattern remained only now the stress of assignments and exams were affecting Eloise…they were making her migraines worse. University was supposed to be a time for enjoyment, exploring, travel and socializing but instead her time was clouded by migraines.
Eloise graduated from university and it was time to enter the work force but even her job choice was affected by her migraines. Stress was clearly a trigger for Eloise so a stressful job would likely set off migraine attacks leaving her in pain and needing...
Topiramate - why treat the symptoms when you could treat the cause?
Migraine is a very common disorder characterized by a headache and associated features with or without the presence of an aura. For many years it has been a poorly understood condition but now we know that the underlying disorder of a migraine is due to brainstem sensitization aka hyperexcitability of the neurons in the brainstem (1). Topiramate, brand name Topamax, is a preventative medication that has been used to treat migraines although it’s original use, and is still commonly used, as an anti-epileptic drug. So why are we using an anti-epileptic medication to treat migraines, how does it help, what do you need to know and could there be a better option?
Frequently asked questions
I love and encourage questions however, commonly similar ones pop up, so here is a list of the most frequently asked questions and their answers to help you if you have been wondering the same things.
I’ve had my neck treated before so how is the Watson Headache Approach different?
Common manual therapy techniques utilised by osteopaths, physiotherapists and chiropractors are specific for neck pain, not headaches and migraines. The Watson Headache Approach has been designed to specifically treat headaches and migraines and is the only manual therapy technique, with research to support it that addresses the underlying disorder of a migraine, brainstem sensitization.
I’ve tried everything out there, manual therapy, tablets, botox etc. Could this work for me?
Yes. For approximately 80% of people the cause of their headaches and migraines is their neck. Medication just aims for symptomatic relief therefore sometimes it might reduce them but you’re still suffering, it might reduce your sympto...
Why is stress a trigger for headaches and migraines?And what you can do to stop it?
The stress hormones:
The main hormones associated with stress are cortisol and adrenaline. When we are stressed we go into either fight or flight mode however in both modes, cortisol and adrenaline levels are elevated, so are they responsible for setting off a headache/migraine attack? Research indicates that:
- Migraine sufferers potentially respond to cortisol levels differently than non-migraine sufferers however this does not appear to have any impact o ...
5 things doctors don't tell you about headaches and migraines
Why does the only answer seem to be drugs or invasive procedures?
So let’s lift the lid on the secrets of the causes and treatments for headaches and migraines to help you get the best possible solution.
Many cases of headache are caused by referred pain from an area away from the actual pain. This is very common phenomenon in the body. It’s like pain from a heart attack referring to the left arm.
This is a map of the referred pain areas which shows that based on where the pain is located headaches often come from the neck. If your doctor doesn't know this or does not how to examine the neck precisely - then this common diagnosis can be missed...
Frosty days and bitter pain
The deep neck flexors - the pillars of strength of the neck
When the deep neck flexors are strong, they allow surrounding muscles to work optimally, however when they are weak, the other muscles need to work to support the neck and head and they can get over worked and tired, leadin...
Let's stop sharing a bed with migraines
Lack of sleep and too much sleep are known to be a trigger for migraines. Disruptions in regular sleeping patterns, such as shift work and jet lag can also be triggers for migraines. Being excessively tired pre or post a migraine is common and it can also be therapeutic during a migraine atta...
Posture – what is it good for? Absolutely everything!
As a species we like to believe that we have evolved and yet with all the knowledge we have acquired I like to believe that we have begun to devolve because we have made ourselves slaves to our desk chairs. The human body is not designed to do any one thing ...
The pill free solution to your headaches
That was the case for Mrs. X until she came and discovered the pill-free solution to her chronic headaches and migraines.
Mrs. X is a mid-30-year-old female with daily ‘background’ headaches that would spike into severe migraines once every 2-3 weeks. Although this sounds bad, this was actually the best Mrs. X had felt in years because her migraines used to be far more frequent.
What helped to decrease these headaches/migraines down to this current state was:
- Preventative medication
Botox injections into the back of the neck
Plus pain medication when the migraines did attack.
Mrs. X had little sleep leading her to be constantly exhausted, but too much sleep would bring on a migraine. The constant pain and drowsiness were affecting her mood, her concentration and her ability to be sociable.
Mrs. X had previously had an MRI performed that was clear of anything that ...
