How many times have I heard that one before?  Thousands.  Literally.  At least one new patient a week, when I ask them if they get headaches answers. “yes, just the normal headaches”.  So, what are normal headaches anyway?  The answer is…there aren’t any!!!  Headaches are common but they are not normal.  They are most definitely not a sign of an Aspirin, Tylenol or Advil deficiency.

For some, headaches are a common occurrence.  Monthly, weekly or even multiple days a week.  They range from a nuisance to debilitating.  If you are anywhere on this spectrum, just know that headaches are a sign, an indicator, that something is not working right in your body.  Headaches can be a warning signal for a myriad of small to larger health problems.

There are several different types of headaches ranging from stress, sinus, migraine and cervicogenic, meaning caused by the cervical area of your spine - your neck.

Tension or stress headaches account for more than 75% of all headaches.  These are often the result of emotional stress or bad posture.  Think about the way we sit at our desk behind a laptop.  For most, the screen is too low and the keyboard too high.  A docking station and a monitor help correct this poor posture.  Couch potato posture also often contributes to tension headaches.  What about “tech neck?”  We constantly put a forward bend in our neck and jut our heads forward to get a better view. Not so good for the discs of our neck, the nerves, and the muscles.  The muscles of our upper back, our traps and our paraspinal muscles tighten up and work over actively to sustain this posture.  Our pecs shorten and then we end up with forward head posture.  This makes our head feel much heavier than it actually is.  For every inch forward your head moves, it doubles its weight. So, for your 10-pound head, 1” of forward posture makes your head 20lbs!  When these muscles shorten, and the opposing muscles are working overtime…the combination often is a tension headache.

To relieve tech neck, try holding you phone higher up in front of you when texting.  This takes the flexion and forward head posture out of the equation.  Also, when using a phone at work or even your cell phone, use a headset or go hands free.  Even if you don’t have headaches, your neck will thank you for it in the long run.

Chiropractic takes a foundational look at your spine which houses your nervous system.  If your spine isn’t properly balanced, then there can be pressure on certain nerves.  The nerves carry signals from your brain up and down your spinal cord to the muscles, tissues and organs.  The muscles can spasm and work over time causing tension headaches.  Chiropractic has an incredible success rate with correcting the Musculo-skeletal problems that cause headaches.

Foods can also trigger headaches.  Common additives such as nitrites, which are found in bacon and processed meats, are culprits added to protect against harmful bacteria in salami, lunch meats, bacon and other cured meats.  However, nitrites are known to damage cells and even cause cancer.

Allergies and sinus infections can be another cause of headaches.  Removing the allergens, if you are able, is the best solution.  But if you can’t, boosting your immune system also helps to combat the allergies and resulting headaches.

Finally, “drink up!”

Yes, we have all heard that we need to drink 8 glasses of water a day.  Mild dehydration is often another cause of headaches.  Here’s the formula.  Take half your body weight in pounds and convert that into ounces.  E.g., If you weight 140 lbs., then divide your weight in half and convert that to 70oz.  You’ll need 70oz a day if you are sedentary.  No, coffee and sports drinks don’t count as water.  Please remember this important step to overall health.  Not to mention, drinking the required amount of water will also help to decrease food cravings and curb your appetite.

Better posture and increasing your water intake are simple steps you can take to keep small problems from becoming big problems and derailing your health.  Remember to be healthy by choice not by chance!