Migraines are the third most prevalent illnesses in the world, affecting about 1 billion people, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. Although the vast majority of sufferers never seek medical attention for their migraines, those that do end up with health care costs up to 70 percent higher than non-migraine affected people.The Mayo Clinic defines the characteristics of a migraine as a severe throbbing or pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head only, often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to sound and light. ìMigraine attacks can cause significant pain for hours to days and can be so severe that the pain is disabling,î according to a post on the clinicís website.Jami Bartz, mother of four boys that includes a set of triplets, said she has experienced migraines since 2007. ìAt first, it was one every three months and then the last few years, it has been one or two every two months,î she said.Initially, her doctors narrowed down the cause to aspartame, an artificial sweetener often used as a sugar substitute in foods and drinks, but after eliminating that from her diet, Bartz said her migraines returned with no known cause.ìI have taken tons of medications for them, and nothing has worked,î she said. ìI usually wake up with them; and, as soon as I wake up, I start throwing up. I have to have it dark, and I cannot eat anything that whole day. I am out for the whole day.îAdditionally, Bartz said it takes another day to recover from the migraine once the pain is gone, resulting in two days of being incapacitated. Health care and lost productivity costs combined associated with migraines are about $36 billion per year in the U.S., according to the MRF.Others have turned to alternative treatments for migraines.Chiropractic for migrainesStephen Kutscher, chiropractor and co-founder of Rock Solid Chiropractic in Falcon, said he knows all too well about migraine medications. During middle school, his doctor prescribed medication to battle his chronic migraines. ìJunior high and high school was really bad for me because I would miss sports functions,î he said. ìI was not able to go to the movies with my friends. I just had to sit in a dark room with a trash can because I was throwing up.î†His experience with migraines led him to pursue a career as a chiropractor, Kutscher said. During schooling, he learned that the structure of the spine determines the function of the nervous system, he said. The easy explanation is that the brain tells the body how to function; and, if the spine is interfering with that communication, it causes issues like migraines, Kutscher said. Through chiropractic care, a migraine headache can be relieved almost immediately in most people, he said.†The majority of the time, the migraine stems from a structural issue in the spine. However, through the initial consultation and X-rays taken throughout his clientsí treatment process, if the structural issue in the spine is not the source; Kutscher said he helps his patients pinpoint other possible causes. ìI recommend a headache journal for my patients like the one I use for myself to see when I got the headache, what the intensity of it was, what I was doing before I got it, the lighting around me, any exposure to chemicals or dirt, nutrition; that kind of thing,î he said. ìTypically, once we get five or six headaches accurately recorded, we see a really obvious pattern.î†Kutscher said through chiropractic care and focusing on his diet, he went from having daily tension headaches and about two to three migraines per week to no migraines for about two years. Being able to associate when the headaches started and what triggered them eventually led Kutscher to know what to avoid and what treatment works best.†Chiropractic care can get expensive, but Kutscher said it is better than paying hundreds of dollars for migraine medicine, which only works when you consistently take it. If you stop taking the medication, the results stop, too, he said. Chiropractic care is a process to retrain the structure of the spine, but once it gets there, it is easy to keep it there, Kutscher said.Daith piercingBartz said she read an article about alternative treatments for migraines, including an ear piercing called a daith piercing. ìI read the article, starting doing some research and finding out feedback on the piercing; and it looked like it worked about 50 percent of the time,î she said.In late October, Bartz said she paid $66 for the piercing, including the jewelry, and has only had one migraine since. ìI had gotten new sunglasses that were polarized and they messed with me, which is why I got that migraine,î she said. Overall, Bartz said she would have paid a lot more for just a chance to be rid of migraines, so she is happy with her decision.Acupuncture for migrainesShelly Greene is certified in oriental medicine by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists. Greene said acupuncture can work as an alternative method to treat migraines, but it is often a case by case situation. “The way acupuncture works is that you have a system of energetic pathways running through your body called meridians,” she said. “When your energy flow gets disrupted, it can cause problems, like migraines.”Greene said she assesses each person to get a good picture of where the disruptions are occurring by asking her clients about eating habits, exercise habits and even bowel movements. From there, she determines which needle to use and where to place them, Greene said.For people with migraines, the treatment process is the same since the migraine can have a variety of causes, depending on the person, Greene said. However, based on her education, including a Master of Science in oriental medicine, Greene said the points on the ear targeted by a daith piercing do not align with the Chinese model she uses.”What they are piercing are not necessarily points that I would choose for acupuncture,” she said. “I am not saying that it does not work, but it does not align with my model. In fact, I have some patients who have had it done, and it works.îNext month: Essential oils, nutrition and massage therapy for migraine headaches.
