Treating Headaches, Migraines, and Concussions with Naturopathic Medicine
Headaches & Migraines
As a Naturopathic Doctor, one of my main focus areas is helping patients achieve long-term relief from headaches and migraines using naturopathic treatments.
As with any health issue, my approach is simple: determine the root causes, treat the underlying issues, and ensure that you have the knowledge and tools to prevent future instances.
Naturopathic Treatment Plan for Headaches & Migraines
An effective naturopathic treatment plan for headaches and migraines consists of a series of weekly visits, followed by monthly maintenance visits. This treatment plan aims to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of headaches and migraines for long-term health.
Keep in mind that the root causes of headaches and migraines vary from person to person, so each patient receives personalized care tailored to the unique nature of their condition.
Phase 1: Health Assessment & Initial Treatment
In your initial visit, we’ll discuss diet, stress, sleep, family history, and more so that I can gain a comprehensive understanding of your health and headache or migraine triggers.
After this initial appointment, my focus is on determining the root causes of your symptoms and beginning treatment. This usually includes implementing lifestyle changes, prescribing supplements, and laboratory testing.
I may also prescribe homeopathic remedies to naturally relieve the symptoms of headaches and migraines as needed while I work on uncovering the deeper cause and preventing future instances. Homeopathic medicines are safe and natural, and are formulated to target specific presentations of headache and migraines.
Phase 2: Relieve Tension with Acupuncture & Cupping
In phase 2, I typically use acupuncture and cupping. This helps to calm the nervous system down, and release tension in the muscles of the neck, scalp, and upper back. Tension in these areas are some of the most common sources of headaches and migraines.
For some patients, the root cause of headaches and migraines are related to diet, hormones, dehydration, or stress, but addressing tension in the body with acupuncture and cupping is still a safe and effective method for getting relief while treating the other underlying issues at the same time.
Phase 3: Maintenance
Once the frequency of the headaches or migraines has reduced, we’ll transition to monthly appointments to focus on maintaining the results. In these appointments we’ll focus on prevention.
Once the root causes of your headaches or migraines have been treated, I’ll prescribe a new treatment plan that focuses on self-management. You’ll learn how to prevent future headaches and migraines by managing your own health so you can maintain these results for the long-term.
5 Common Causes of Headaches & Migraines
(And how to treat them with Naturopathy)
1. Muscle Tension
Tight muscles of the scalp, neck, and upper back are often the primary causes of headaches and migraines. I use a combination of acupuncture, cupping, supplements, and stretches to help address these causes. I also show patients the best stretches to target the specific muscles that are causing their headaches and migraines.
2. Poor Sleep
Mouth breathing, sleep apnea, and insomnia, among other conditions, contribute to low-quality sleep and can, in turn, lead to headaches and migraines. I often prescribe a personalized regimen of sleep-targeted supplements such as magnesium or valerian root to help improve sleep quality and prevent headaches and migraines.
3. Poor Diet
Many people struggle with managing a nutritious diet that properly addresses health concerns like headaches and migraines. As a naturopathic doctor, I use nutritional therapy to nourish your body with diet changes. This can include administering a food sensitivity test to eliminate foods that could be triggering your headaches or migraines and supplementing your diet with supplements like magnesium and vitamin B12.
4. Stress
Chronic stress can has many damaging effects on the body which can often present as debilitating headaches and migraines. Using a naturopathic approach, we’ll determine methods for mitigating the impact life’s stressors. I often prescribe supplements like ashwagandha to help alleviate stress and subsequently relieve pain. Acupuncture is also used to help calm the nervous system down.
5. Dehydration
Many of us don’t drink enough water, and even if we do, the water often lacks adequate trace minerals and electrolytes to properly hydrate the body. I often recommend that patients add a pinch of sea salt, lemon, and cucumber to their water to help improve hydration.
Concussions and Post-Concussion Syndrome
Concussions are very common, affecting an estimated 20% of individuals at least once in their life. Many cases are self-resolving with simple care such as rest, hydration, and avoiding bright lights.
However, 50% of concussion sufferers continue to experience persistent symptoms long after the initial concussion. These symptoms can include chronic headaches and migraines, fatigue, trouble sleeping, dizziness, concentration and memory issues, as well as mood and personality changes.
How I Treat Concussions with Naturopathic Medicine
Brain Recovery
Rather than masking the effects of concussions with medications that suppress your symptoms, my approach to treating concussions is to promote brain recovery and healing with safe and natural interventions that support brain health.
Underlying Issues
As with all health concerns, treatment begins with an initial visit where I gain a comprehensive understanding of your overall health.
I often find that the health of a person before the concussion can determine how effectively they recover from a concussion. In many cases, if the patient was experiencing issues with digestion, sleep, hormones, pain, or other conditions before the incident, a concussion can worsen these issues and interfere with the body’s natural healing process.
As a Naturopathic Doctor, addressing these underlying issues is always the primary goal of treatment. I often recommend laboratory testing to determine if there are any imbalances in the body that have prevented the concussion from resolving on its own, and then prescribe treatment to help mitigate their effects.
Naturopathic Concussion Services
Similar to headache and migraine treatment, my approach consists of weekly acupuncture and cupping sessions which reduce in frequency as your symptoms begin to subside.
In addition to acupuncture and cupping, I may also prescribe clinical doses of supplements like omega 3s and creatine monohydrate to promote brain recovery.