By  Dr. Mike Masterson

Migraines are a severe headache, often accompanied by visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting. Some patients do not experience a headache, but will instead suffer from an ocular migraine. The only symptoms may be halos around lights or spots before their eyes.

Migraine headaches can be so severe that the person needs to stay in a darkened room for hours or several days to allow the headache to dissipate.

Since the nerves from the upper neck generally radiate up behind the ear, across the temple and end up over the eye and into the frontal sinuses, nerve interference can also cause a multitude of symptoms affecting the eyes, cheeks, teeth and ears. We commonly see patients who suffer from chronic sinus problems, blurred vision, double vision, unexplained pain in their upper teeth, or ear symptoms such as a blockage, popping or ringing. All can be helped with chiropractic care.

During a hands-on examination, I check a patient for an upper cervical vertebral subluxation. A subluxation is a condition of the spine in which one of the spinal bones has lost its proper alignment with the ones above and below. This causes interference to the nerve system, creating the symptoms mentioned above.

A series of chiropractic adjustments followed by cold pack application can correct these subluxations—without prescription medications. As migraines go away, they tend to follow a pattern. They might be as intense but less frequent, or less intense but with the same frequency. Usually, to the great relief of my patients, they will become less frequent and less intense at the same time.

Many of my patients come in for a monthly wellness adjustment and rarely, if ever, need to suffer from these debilitating symptoms again. If you’ve suffered migraines and have tried everything else, it might be time to try chiropractic. I will be giving a talk on Thursday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m. in our office.

Dr. Mike Masterson has been serving the Strongsville area for over 30 years. Strongsville Chiropractic Health Center is located at 16000 Pearl Rd., Suite 206, in the Medical Center of Strongsville plaza. The office can be reached at 440-238-4442. Learn more at www.StrongsvilleChiro.com. Appointments are available Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Evening hours are also available.