Migraine Headache Relief Treatment servicing the areas of Norwalk, Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien, CT.
Laser Migraines Treatment
Migraine relief at the speed of light. Virtually no side effects, just lasting results. Just one of the many tools used by Dr.McKay to help treat tough migraine headaches. If you want relief from terrible headaches. Call 203-656-3636 today
Migraine Treatment Techniques at Core Health Darien
At Core Health Darien, migraine care is personalized to address the specific causes and triggers behind each patient’s condition. Dr. Brian McKay combines proven chiropractic methods with advanced therapies to restore balance and reduce pain. Migraine cases are commonly treated with:
- Cervical Spinal Adjustments – Gentle realignment of the neck vertebrae to reduce nerve irritation, improve mobility, and restore proper nervous system function.
- Intraoral Care – Focused therapy to relieve jaw and TMJ tension, which often contributes to migraine pain.
- Nasal Release – A precise technique that reduces sinus pressure and enhances airflow, helping to alleviate headache triggers linked to congestion.
- Stimpod Therapy – Cutting-edge electrical nerve stimulation that calms overactive nerves, reduces inflammation, and helps reset pain pathways.
Why is Core Health Your Best Chiropractic Choice?
Our immediate goal is to address the patients needs on a priority basis. It is vital to work within their comfort levels. A patient needs to be respected 100%. By that it is also important that our staff respect a patients time and money at all times.
We try to provide treatment that is safe, comfortable, and effective. When we are unable to deliver care that the patient responds to we will refer them out to the appropriate specialist. This is a standard approach that has worked out well and continues to do so.
Our immediate goal is to address the patients needs on a priority basis. It is vital to work within their comfort levels. A patient needs to be respected 100%. By that it is also important that our staff respect a patients time and money at all times.
We try to provide treatment that is safe, comfortable, and effective. When we are unable to deliver care that the patient responds to we will refer them out to the appropriate specialist. This is a standard approach that has worked out well and continues to do so.
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Ready to start feeling better?
The team at Core Health Darien is here to answer all your questions and help you start your journey to pain relief and improved mobility. Whether you want to schedule an appointment, ask about our treatments, or need directions, we make it easy to connect.
Migraine Headaches
Migraine Headaches can be a debilitating condition that can significantly impact a person's quality of life. While medication and other traditional medical treatments can help alleviate the symptoms of migraines, chiropractic care offers a safe and effective alternative or complementary therapy.
By improving spinal health and addressing imbalances in the nervous system, chiropractic care can help reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines and prevent their onset in the first place. If you are considering chiropractic care for your migraines, be sure to consult with a licensed and experienced chiropractor to develop a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
Chiropractic Care for Migraines
Migraine headaches are a debilitating condition that can have a significant impact on a person's quality of life. Many people who suffer from migraines seek relief through medication or other traditional medical treatments, but there is growing evidence to suggest that chiropractic care may be an effective alternative or complementary therapy. We will explore what chiropractic care is, how it can help relieve migraine headaches, and what to expect during a chiropractic session.
What is chiropractic care for migraine headaches?
Chiropractic care is a form of healthcare that focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, particularly those related to the spine. Chiropractors are trained to identify misalignments in the spine and other joints, which can cause pain and other symptoms throughout the body.
Chiropractors use a variety of techniques to help realign the spine and improve the function of the nervous system. These techniques may include manual adjustments, spinal decompression, massage therapy, and other forms of hands-on manipulation.
How can chiropractic care help with migraine headaches?
While the exact causes of migraines are still not fully understood, it is believed that they may be related to imbalances in the nervous system. Chiropractic care can help address these imbalances by improving the function of the spine and nervous system.
Studies have shown that chiropractic care can be an effective treatment for migraines. One study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that chiropractic care was effective in reducing the frequency and intensity of migraines in a group of patients over a period of four weeks. Another study published in the Journal of Headache and Pain found that chiropractic care was as effective as a commonly prescribed medication for migraines.
How Do I Know if My Headaches are Migraines
A migraine is usually an intense headache, much more than a simple headache. What we see with migraine headaches is the longer lasting effects that accompany a migraine. Typical headaches respond to Advil, Aleve, Tylenol, and rest. migraine headaches are intense, throbbing headaches that can rob you of normal quality of life.
If you have to lock yourself in a quiet dark room to survive the headache, you probably have a migraine. If you lose several days a month from work, you probably have a migraine. If your headache is affecting your relationship with your spouse, children, co-workers there is a strong possibility that your headaches are migraines. Typically, a migraine will be one sided and can originate in the base of the head also called the occipital region. The debilitating pain can travel up the back of the head to the eyes. If this describes your type of headaches you should consult with your doctor. There are many different treatment options to combat migraines.
Migraine Headaches Darien
Migraines are possibly your worst enemy. They rob you of your quality of life. They make it harder to work, sleep, or care for the important things in your life. Sad thing is that most migraines can be helped. Big Pharma does not want you to know this because they want you or your insurance company to pay thousands of dollars for Botox or Nurtec. Most migraine headaches are cervicogenic in nature, what this means is that your migraine is caused by misalignment of cervical bones.
The base of your brain goes down to the second cervical vertebra, outside your skull. Pressure on the brain stem can and will cause an interruption of the normal neural circuitry. Pressure on the brain stem will cause you to have headaches. Your medical doctor only knows what they read in journals or what the drug reps tell them. Who supplies the data for medical journals? Big Pharma who then pays JAMA, The Lancet, or Journal of the American Medical Association for reprints. Why do you think you have to keep taking medication? Probably because the pills do not work. Granted they may give some relief of your migraines, but at what cost. Read the disclosures.
How We Fix Migraines
When you ask a chiropractor how to fix a migraine they will tell you that you need to address the subluxation. If you do not know what a subluxation is, I will tell you. A subluxation is when a vertebra is misaligned and causes pressure on a nerve. The pressure on the nerve can cause tremendous pain. It can also cause an interruption in the nerve supply. Think of what happens when your internet goes down? It makes it hard for you to communicate. Well the same thing happens to nerves that are trying to communicate with your brain, there is an interruption. The chiropractor will put the vertebra back into it's place so your brain can start communicating with the rest of the body without pain.
Now at Core Health Darien we take a few steps further. Almost always we find a loss of the normal cervical lordosis, this means the curve that should be there is not. This creates a biomechanical stress on the spinal cord.
Main Cause of Migraines
What I have found to be the primary cause of migraines is a subluxation of the occipital bone at the base of your head, directly above the first cervical vertebra. A misalignment at the occiput restricts the flow of cerebrospinal fluid by causing stenosis of the brain stem. The brainstem is comprised of the medulla, the pons, and the mesencephalon or midbrain. The brainstem is a relay point for information to and from the brain. Many nerve impulses synapse in the brain stem.
Think of a bone impinging on the delicate brain tissue. You can imagine how intense that pain can be, after all we are talking about the brain. The opening where the brainstem meets the spinal cord needs to be open rather than stenotic. As mentioned earlier the pressure on the brain stem combined with the blockage of cerebrospinal fluid is a painful event and can cause horrific migraines.
Migraines Headaches Relieved w/ Chiropractic Care
Has your doctor ever explained stress headaches to you? Physical, chemical, emotional stress surround all of us. How our bodies deal with stress is a hormonal release of Adrenaline, Cortisol, and Norepinephrine these act as neurotransmitters telling the nerves how to respond to the stress that is causing the headaches.
When your body perceives stress it signal the adrenal glands to produce Cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone. Adrenaline allows your body to quickly respond to a threat, prolonged stress means that your body is producing Adrenaline constantly. This overloads the system causing blood to rush to your arms and legs.
This rush of blood should only last a few minutes. Chronic stress means you are producing this effect constantly putting pressure on the brain stem and spinal nerves. Do you see how stress can cause you to have wicked headaches? I urge you to try chiropractic care for your migraines and stress headaches.
What are the Main types of Migraine?
Migraine with Aura
Migraine with aura, also known as classic migraine, is a type of migraine that is characterized by a visual or sensory disturbance that occurs before the onset of the headache. These disturbances, which are known as auras, can include:
- Visual disturbances, such as flashes of light, zigzag lines, or blind spots
- Sensory disturbances, such as tingling or numbness in the face, hands, or feet
- Language disturbances, such as difficulty speaking or understanding speech
- Motor disturbances, such as weakness or paralysis in one part of the body
Auras typically last between 20 and 60 minutes and are followed by the onset of the headache. The headache associated with migraine with aura is usually severe and throbbing, and it is often accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraine without Aura
Migraine without aura, also known as common migraine, is the most common type of migraine. It is characterized by a moderate to severe headache that can last anywhere from a few hours to several days. The headache is typically unilateral, meaning it affects only one side of the head, and it is often accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.
Migraine without aura can be further classified into several subtypes, including:
Chronic migraine: A type of migraine that occurs on 15 or more days per month for at least three months.
Menstrual migraine: A type of migraine that occurs in relation to a woman's menstrual cycle.
Vestibular migraine: A type of migraine that is characterized by dizziness or vertigo.
Common Migraine Stages
Prodrome Stage of Migraine Symptoms
Migraines have many different symptoms and can be broken down into four stages. Symptoms in the prodrome stage can seem innocuous and might be ignored. Some of those symptoms include yawning. Who would imagine yawning as a symptom of a migraine? Increased urination is also another off-the-wall symptom of migraine. Food cravings and fluid retention are a few more symptoms of migraine headaches. Some patients report symptoms of mood changes as a sign of an impending migraine. The prodrome symptoms stage is typically 24-48 hours before the migraine appears.
Aura Stage of Migraine Symptoms
The symptoms of an Aura will occur before a migraine starts. The symptoms tend to be visual in nature, this is believed to be a nervous system reaction to the oncoming migraine. Some migraine sufferers notice a loss of vision, or they may see flashing light and possibly shapes. These symptoms are more neurological in nature. The trigeminal nerve is thought to play a major role in migraine symptoms and could explain the myriad symptoms that occur with a migraine. Trouble speaking and weakness of the head and face round out symptoms of the Aura stage of a migraine.
Attack Stage of Migraine Symptoms
This is the rough time for migraine sufferers. During the Attack phase the symptoms are acute and can last up to 72 hours. The migraine sufferer may resort to locking themselves in a dark room until the migraines go away. The headache pain can be one sided and could be both sides. The head pain can pulsate and throb. A person with a migraine at this stage can tell you it is no fun. It is not unusual to experience nausea and vomiting along with the migraine. And you think you have it tough?
Post Drome Stage of Migraine Symptoms
The post drome stage usually brings some relief to the person with the migraine headache. Ater an exhausting event like a migraine you can expect to be worn out. The amount of energy expended on the migraine is reason enough to get rest and make sure that your fluid intake is good. Magnesium supplements along with Vitamin D can help ease the symptoms of post drome migraine. Migraine are never welcome, unfortunately there is no medication that actually stops a migraine from happening.
Causes of Chronic Migraine Headaches
Since no one in the medical field can tell you what causes a migraine headache, I am going to give you the chiropractic explanation for migraines. Headache symptoms arise from pressure on the brain stem. Recurrent migraine headaches are a stress response to direct pressure on the brain stem. The brain stem connects the spinal cord to the brain. The brain stem is made of 3 sections, the Pons, the Medulla, and the Midbrain. As I am sure you can imagine, pressure on brain tissue can cause myriad symptoms to occur. So as a chiropractor we relieve migraine pain but taking stress of the cervical spine.
Can Stress Cause a Migraine Headache
People with migraine headache symptoms can attest to being under stress, a great deal of it. Migraine symptons area burden and isn't that what stress is? A physical burden with a host of symptoms that rob people of healthy lives. Mount Sinai doctors attribute the migraine stress to taking years off peoples lives. A simple headache usually responds to Advil or Aleve. Ask people with a migraine if Advil does any good? If it did they would not have the migraine to begin with. People with migraine headaches come in all shapes, sizes , and ages.
Mental stress can propel people with a migraine to have more migraines. 1 migraine headache is 1 too many. Reducing stress can help people stave off migraines. Proper rest, exercise, and a good diet can contribute to less stressful situations that can cause a migraine to flare up. Supplements like magnesium and Vitamin D anecdotally been known to help ease migraine headache symptoms as reported by some people
Health & Migraines
Migraine symptoms weigh on a migraine sufferers overall health. Chances are the migraineur does not sleep as well as they could if they did not have the headaches. Acute migraine attacks tend to cause cytokine storms where the body recognizes a threat and responds with powerful chemicals to combat the migraine. As the chemicals express themselves cortisol production is ramped up . There are psychological symptoms that arise with chronic migraine headaches. A mother with migraines feels guilty locking herself in a room to quell the migraine symptoms. Then when the migraine finally goes away she is exhausted and still needs to be a mom. Imagine the desperation of a mom working with migraine headaches? The overall toll on the migraine sufferers health goes beyond the symptoms.
According to the American Migraine Foundation some migraine symptoms can be eased with B Vitamins and Magnesium supplementation. The Mayo Clinic suggests that some migraine symptoms can be helped with lifestyle changes. The fact remains that migraine headaches have a devastating effects on the migraine sufferers overall health.
Migraine FAQ's
Unlike medications that primarily mask migraine symptoms, chiropractic care focuses on addressing underlying causes such as spinal misalignment, nerve irritation, and muscle tension. By restoring balance to the nervous and musculoskeletal systems, chiropractic treatment helps reduce the frequency, intensity, and duration of migraines for long-term relief.
Proudly Serving Fairfield County
Core Health is honored to care for patients throughout lower Fairfield County, including:
Core Health Darien - Dr. Brian McKay
business hours:
Monday
7 am–12 pm, 3–6:30 pm
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
7 am–12 pm
Thursday
3–6:30 pm
Friday
7 am–12 pm
Saturday
9–11 am
Sunday
Closed
Contact number:
Address:
551 Post Road, Darien, CT