Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine is a Toronto naturopathic clinic dedicated to providing safe and effective treatment of a wide variety of health conditions using natural therapies and the principles of naturopathic medicine.
Chronic headaches are well treated using naturopathic medicine. Headaches take many forms, and affect most people from time to time. Although the technical definition of “chronic” headaches is headaches experienced more than 15 days a month, for more than three months, any headaches that recur regularly can adversely affect quality of life. Professional healthcare should be sought out if your headaches:
- Occur more than three times weekly
- Require daily use of pain relievers
- Require more than the recommended dose of over-the-counter pain remedies for relief
- Change in pattern or symptoms
- Are getting worse
Seek emergency medical care if your headache:
- Is sudden and severe
- Accompanies a fever, stiff neck, rash, confusion, seizure, double vision, weakness, numbness or difficulty speaking
- Follows a head injury
- Gets worse despite rest and pain medication
Possible complications of chronic headaches include depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and other psychological and physical problems.
Symptoms of chronic headaches
The four most common types of chronic headaches and their possible symptoms are:
Chronic migraine:
- Possibly preceded by an aura
- Pain affecting one or both sides of your head
- Pain of a pulsating or throbbing quality
- Moderate to severe pain intensity
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Aggravated by physical activity
Chronic tension-type headache:
- Pain typically affecting both sides of your head
- Pain of a pressing or tightening quality
- Mild to moderate pain intensity
- Mild nausea
- Sensitivity to light or sound
New daily persistent headache:
- Starts suddenly and occurs daily within three days of onset
- Pain affecting both sides of your head
- Pain of a tightening or pressing quality, not throbbing
- Mild to moderate pain intensity
- Mild nausea
- Sensitivity to light or sound
Hemicrania continua:
- Daily and consistent pain, with no pain-free periods
- Pain on only one side of your head
- Moderate intensity of pain, interspersed with brief episodes of severe pain
- Tearing or redness of the eye on the affected side
- Swelling or drooping of the eyelid on the affected side
- Nasal congestion or runny nose
Chronic headache treatment at Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine, the goals of headache treatment are significant or complete headache reduction with minimal use of medications, natural or otherwise.
Conventional treatment of chronic headaches may include a variety of medications, including antidepressants, beta blockers, anti-seizure medications or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) which may have short- or long-term side effects. For this reason, you may choose to try natural treatment to possibly avoid use of conventional medications, or together with conventional medications in order to decrease dosages of conventional medications required to manage your headache symptoms.
Naturopathic treatment of any chronic health concern must be recognized as a process that involves identifying specific treatment goals, a thorough understanding by your naturopathic doctor of all factors affecting your health, including physical, psychological, emotional and lifestyle factors, development of a comprehensive treatment plan and execution of that plan through periodic monitoring and adjustment.
At Toronto-Centre Naturopathic Medicine a typical approach to treating chronic headaches, including migraine and cluster headaches, is to first identify and address underlying factors in your lifestyle (e.g., stress, food sensitivities, adverse drug reactions). Where appropriate, a number of therapeutic options are available, to be used alone, or more often in a complementary fashion, including:
- Acupuncture
- Nutritional supplements
- Botanical (herbal) medicines
- Homeopathic medicines
- Bowen Therapy
Reference
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Chronic daily headaches [Online]. [cited 2009 Feb 18]; Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chronic-daily-headaches/DS00646