Headaches: Much more than just a pain in the head
Almost everyone will experience a headache at some point in their life, but there are some who have severe headaches frequently or even daily. The solution for headaches is relatively universal — just take some ibuprofen or acetaminophen and it will usually go away, right? While I love that we have such readily available solutions to take the edge off our aches and pains, you may have noticed that nearly every painkiller warns against long-term and chronic use in some way or another. The risks of long-term use and overuse of most painkillers are often overlooked, yet they are very real and can potentially cause permanent damage or even death in some cases.
Any time we have persistent, stubborn symptoms it is a sign that something deeper is going on beneath the surface. Sure, we can just treat a symptom whenever it pops up, but if that symptom is a frequent occurrence or is plaguing you constantly, you need to be asking, “WHY is this happening to me?” Treating chronic pain with a painkiller for weeks or months on end is like trying to pump up a tire with a hole in it. You may get some extra mileage out of it but you haven’t stopped the cause of the leak and as a result, you are just going to have to keep pumping and pumping. In fact, in the case of a headache, chronic use of painkillers places a burden on the liver, which is a common cause of headaches, and this can lead to an increased frequency of your headaches.
Our mission at Vital Health is to discover the root cause of whatever condition you are experiencing. There are numerous causes of headaches. Some of the most common include stress, muscle tension, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), hypertension (high blood pressure), liver stress and many more. We look at the nitty-gritty details surrounding your headaches to determine why they are occurring. The magic really is in the details. By knowing WHY a condition is occurring, we get to create a treatment plan that addresses the root cause of your symptoms and in turn drastically reduce or eliminate the frequency and intensity of your headaches … and this is just the beginning! Most of our patients come in for one or two severe symptoms. They usually have several other problems that they think are beyond hope. However, because we treat the body as a whole, those other problems often get resolved in the process. Throughout the course of care, we often hear things like, “I didn’t know that could get better.” It seems like most people have one ailment or another that they just decide they have to deal with. We get so used to dealing with pain or discomfort that we don’t even think we are capable of feeling better. This isn’t the case, the body has an incredible potential to heal, and we are here to teach you to unleash that potential!
Attend our upcoming health class, Solving the Headache and Migraine Puzzle, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene. Fee: $10. RSVP: 208-765-1994 or register here: http://bit.ly/HeadacheClass.
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Jonathan M. Sasser holds a Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine, is a Licensed Acupuncturist and is board certified in Oriental Medicine by the NCCAOM. He has more than 3,000 hours of training in acupuncture, classical Oriental Medicine, herbal medicine and nutrition.
Additionally, Jon also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine. Jon is a “Health Detective.” He looks beyond your symptom picture and investigates WHY you are experiencing your symptoms in the first place. Jonathan is currently accepting new patients and offers natural health care services and whole food nutritional supplements at Vital Health in Coeur d’Alene.
Visit our website at www.vitalhealthcda.com to learn more about Jonathan, view a list of upcoming health classes and read other informative articles. Jonathan can be reached at 208-765-1994 and would be happy to answer any questions regarding this topic.