Headaches

Please note: If you are experiencing a sudden or acute headache or your headache is accompanied by visual disturbance and/or fever, please head to the ER immediately.

For many people, headaches only occur very occasionally and the cause is easy to identify. For others, headaches occur regularly and interfere with their lives. As life gets busier and people experience more and more stress, headaches become a problem for more people. Headaches are most often caused by stress, muscle tension or circulatory problems.

Rooted offers many treatment options for headaches:

• Naturopathic Medicine
  
• Acupuncture
  
• Low intensity laser therapy (LILT)
  
• Massage therapy
  

Naturopathic Medicine offers a number of modalities that can be used in a personalized treatment plan to relieve headaches and enhance overall wellness. Acupuncture can remove energy blockages that could be causing the headaches. Massage therapy effectively treats all three primary causes of headaches, and in conjunction with laser therapy, successfully relieves stress and muscle tension. A comprehensive treatment plan, possibly including regular LILT and massage treatments, can reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches, largely by improving blood circulation to the brain and improving overall wellness.

There are different types of headaches:

• Migraines are often one sided and accompanied by nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light and/or sound. They can be preceded by an aura of neurological symptoms or mood disturbances.
  
  
• Tension headaches are the most common and can last from 30 minutes to 7 days.
  
  
• Sinus headaches are often, but not always, associated with an infection.
  
  
• Cluster headaches involve severe one-sided pain, usually over one eye and temple. The patient is generally extremely restless during an attack and episodes are usually recurrent.
  

There are many causes of headaches:

• Blood sugar imbalance
  
• Food allergy
  
• Muscle tension
  
• Hormonal disturbances (PMS, melatonin, serotonin)
  
• TMJ (Temporomandibular joint) syndrome
  
• Drug reaction
  
• Subluxations in your spine