Combat Headaches

A chiropractor discusses types, causes, and drug-free treatments for headaches in this health guide.

For the author, headaches are “a symptom of being in a dis-eased state,” and as a chiropractor, she found herself “giving patients the same explanations for causes and treatments every day.” In this volume, Drummond (Top Seven Ways to Combat the Effects of Sitting: The Silent Killer, 2016) tees up headache types (tension, migraine, cluster, sinus, etc.) and triggers (genetics but also changeable lifestyle factors, including stress, diet, and sleep). Then, urging caution about using pain medications, the author details, with accompanying illustrations, various drug-free ways to achieve headache relief, encompassing acupressure treatment on the pressure point(s) related to headache types, stretching exercises, and more. Her nutrition advice includes eating local honey since it is “filled with the antigens of the pollen you are breathing in your area” and adopting a “rotation diet”—if you eat something, don’t consume it for four consecutive days afterward. This will “ensure that you get a variety of foods, and it will lessen your likelihood of developing food sensitivities, which is a growing problem in our culture.” She also outlines effective sleep, posture, and ergonomic practices; recommends engaging in ongoing cardio activity and relaxation therapies (she uses a floatation pod); and advocates herbal and therapeutic oil alternatives (valerian root, etc.), among other remedies. By Page 177, Drummond deftly segues into what chiropractors can do to help, providing an explanation of the manipulations involved and advising that headache sufferers should work with as many medical professionals as needed to have an “optimal healing team.” The author delivers a helpful synthesis of the many methods beyond medication that can help with headache pain as well as overall healthy habits advice. Her advocacy of chiropractic treatments is also tempered by noting that headaches can be symptoms of a stroke or other issues that require immediate medical attention. She also offers readers many easy-to-follow directions to perform self-care at home, even if using floatation pods or employing cranial massage “to mobilize the cranial bones” to help ease any head pain may prove too scary for some.

An energizing roundup of tips on alleviating headache pain.