Don’t Accept Headaches as a Way of Life: Dr. Paul Stallone shares the many culprits for headaches, and some easy things we can all do to lessen their impact

When we get a headache, it usually depends on its severity whether an over-the-counter pain reliever is warranted or not. Besides the pain, the most frustrating thing about a headache is that there can be so many causes. This time of year, allergies are causing an increase of headaches, which when coupled with sinus pressure and congestion, can really amplify it.

Diet impacts every aspect of life, and without healthy nutrition the body expresses its unhappiness with symptoms. Reflect on recent meals and snacks. A food diary can map out sensitivities and provide insights as to what foods may be causing a reaction. A more accurate method is to have a doctor perform a food sensitivity test. The skin-prick test can provide false positives, but there are reliable blood tests that have proven to be more effective.

Dehydration can cause headaches, and many people can successfully treat them just by drinking a couple of glasses of alkalized water. Many drinks on the market actually dehydrate the body and turn it acidic. Remember this rule of thumb: for every two pounds of body weight, drink one ounce of pure water. In hot weather or during exercise, increasing water consumption is an absolute must. For a significant boost of hydration, try receiving a nutritional IV. This therapy provides a boost of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients directly into the bloodstream.

For some people, headaches require a physician’s diagnosis and care. A very common underlying condition that triggers headaches in both men and women is unbalanced hormones, which can cause a multitude of symptoms that include headaches and migraines. Malfunctioning hormones can affect adrenal glands, causing fatigue, weight gain and other undesired side effects. Treating hormones without performing appropriate blood work is dangerous and can waste time and money. Receiving customized hormone replacement therapy generally results in speedy recovery from symptoms.

Sometimes back or neck pain can stimulate a headache. Neck pain can cause cervicogenic headaches as the pain travels from the neck and radiates to the back of the head, into the temples and/or the eyes. Almost any serious back or neck problem can result in daily headaches. If left untreated, conditions like bulging disks and whiplash will continue to produce headaches and increase in severity over time.

Spinal adjustments can correct spines that are misaligned and help address other back pain. Treatments like Prolozone and Prolotherapy can help permanently treat disk problems. Trigger point injections can almost instantly help back muscles that are too tight or constantly sore. By releasing these muscles from their continuously painful state, the back can relax, the spine can realign and order can be restored.

Most people do not have time to commit to a detox program, but not only can this process help headaches and migraines, by ridding the body of a heavy toxin burden, the body is allowed to function properly and heal itself. Many people don’t realize the importance of a high-quality detox. Water, food, air, clothing, traffic, household chemicals, beauty products, commercial packaging and countless other sources all release toxins into the body daily. Because it was not designed to deal with these, it tries to store them.

Constantly handling and processing toxins is taxing on the body, and so it becomes sluggish. There are many powerful detox programs that require very little time on the patient’s part. The beginning of a detox is usually the hardest, but by the end, most feel a huge increase of energy and an elimination of symptoms, including headaches. A trained physician can choose the right detox program and provide support before, during and after the detox.

Even though headaches and migraines have many sources, this should not render them tolerable. The occasional neuralgia is probably not enough to worry about, but people are taking large amounts of pain relievers just to make it through the day. This can cause stomach issues and still never addresses the cause. Proactive measures can make an enormous difference in the quality of life for a headache sufferer and address the real reason behind the pain.

Paul Stallone, NMD, founded the Arizona Integrative Medical Center, located at 8144 E. Cactus Rd., Ste. 820, in Scottsdale. For more information, call 480-214-3922 or visit DrStallone.com.