Help for Migraine Headaches

New research supports the use of Chiropractic Care for the treatment of Migraine headaches:

Just as puzzles are completed piece by piece, the evidence for the positive effects of chiropractic care for migraines is slowly filling in and revealing a clearer picture.  That picture depicts a more meaningful role for chiropractic care in both the prevention and treatment of migraine headache.  A recent Norwegian systematic review of manual therapies for migraine prevention (4 Feb 2011) concluded that chiropractic spinal manipulation and some other conservative interventions appear to be equal to medications (propranolol & topiramate) in their ability to prevent migraines.

 

Although most of the published research supporting chiropractic treatment of migraine is based upon case reports, there have been other studies including a limited number of randomized clinical trials.  A previous 2001 systematic review by Bronfort et. al. concluded that “Spinal Manipulative Therapy (SMT) appears to have a better effect than massage for cervicogenic headache.  It also appears that SMT has an effect comparable to commonly used first-line prophylactic prescription medications for tension-type headache and migraine headache.  This conclusion rests upon a few trials of adequate methodological quality.  Before any firm conclusions can be drawn, further testing should be done in rigorously designed, executed, and analyzed trials with follow-up periods of sufficient length.”

Since this review, favourable research continues to build in support of chiropractic manipulation as an effective treatment for migraine headaches.

So if you or loved-one is suffering from chronic headaches, why not try Chiropractic care as a drug-free alternative....it works!

The answers to reaching your goals for 2011

Quit It!

2011 is well on its way now and I’m sure those of you that have been inspired to get things done this year have for the most part already put a plan together...even if it’s still in your head and not down on paper yet. Having a plan in your head is great, just remember at some point...hopefully sooner than later...to actually put pen to paper and take it from the thoughts in your head to reality on paper. Just like we find clarity when we talk through a problem, we also get clarity when we write our plans down. Once it’s on paper, often you can see the areas that need work.

After the complete craziness that was my 2010 and I’m sure quite a few of yours too, I’ve tried to get some perspective on my goals and dreams for this year.....by finding reasons to quit. That might sound a bit counterintuitive, but what I’ve found is that for me once I get “radar-lock” on a goal I tend to pursue it to the end and sometimes it ends up being a dead-end. So if you’re chasing a dream or a goal this year, why not evaluate what you’re doing first before you end up chasing your tail.

If you have 10 goals on your list this year, why not whittle your list down to 5 and make sure you’re doing those 5 with 110% dedication rather than doing all 10 with only 60% of your effort? It occurred to me recently when I was reading about famed chef and restaurateur, Gordon Ramsay, and his approach to reviving struggling restaurants. How does he do it? It’s simple really, he takes a menu of 30 or 40 dishes and cuts it down to roughly 10 and insists that the 10 dishes are done to perfection. It’s a really simple strategy and amazingly it actually works! Often the solutions are simpler than we think. When I go out to eat now, it’s becomes so obvious to see why certain restaurants are struggling, often their menus are just too big...too much bulk. On the other hand, there are restaurants that have cult-like followings because of the superb product they serve and fantastic service it’s delivered with because they keep it simple. When you only have 5 or 10 items on your menu, it becomes clear how it’s easier to focus on quality and service without so many distractions. It’s also clear how this logic spills over into all matter of business. 

More often than not, less is more. So look at your goals, dreams and aspirations for this year and ask yourself “why” you’re doing it. Look at your real motivation and intention and maybe you’ll soon see how you may be able to remove some dead-weight from your menu.

Here are some of the questions I’ve started asking myself to help me quit while I’m ahead so I don’t throw any more good time after bad ideas:

Why are you doing it in the first place? What is it for? Who will benefit? What’s the motivation behind it? Answer these and you’ll probably start to better understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Is it useful? Are you doing it because it’s trendy or cool or is it actually useful? Trends come and go. Useful is here to stay.

Am I solving anything? Is something not possible now that will become possible if I do this? Is there a problem with the way it is now? Is there a system that’s broken that’s causing confusion? You never know, you may actually be solving an imaginary problem that only exists in your head. We’ve all heard the saying “if it aint broke, don’t fix it”.

Is there an easier way? Problems are often quite simple; we just imagine the answers are complicated. For example, recently one of the little rubber feet came off our wooden chopping board at home so it kept wobbling when I used it and for a perfectionist like me this was rather irritating to say the least. I made countless trips to Builders Warehouse and other hardware stores looking for the perfect replacement, I was even considering making one myself until I realized that by removing the remaining 3 rubber feet, the problem was solved...no more wobble. When something isn’t working we often tend to throw more at it. If we just step back and go in the opposite direction, often the solution is right in front of us. Less is more and at the end of the day...it’s just a wooden chopping board.

Is it really worth it? Look at the real value and contribution to yourself, your business or those around you before you take the plunge. Return on investment, is this thing just going to keep you busy or is it actually going to create opportunity and growth?

For me 2011 is a year to reflect on the growth of 2010 and to focus on endurance rather than speed. To do this requires letting go of the excess...even if the excesses are well intentioned goals. 

Good Health?

Good health? I guess most of us are under the impression that good health = feeling good and although that may be kinda true, there’s a bit more to it than that, don’t you think? I’m sure there’s plenty of you out there that don’t exercise or eat right, but despite that you’re feeling pretty good at the moment. You’ve just plonked yourself down at your desk after an hour or so commute to work, you’re about to eat something loaded with sugar and take a sip on your 3rd cup of coffee and despite all that, you feel pretty good. So is this health? I think not.

Health can’t be just about how you feel, that’s ridiculous...it’s gotta be more about how you function, right? If you wait for symptoms to arise to indicate if you’re “well” or not you’re going to be just like the hundreds of thousands of heart attack victims out there who’s first heart attack was their first sign of heart disease. How do you think that worked out for them? 

Health has got to be a lifestyle choice, not an event. You get healthy one day at a time, one smart choice at a time. The first step is taking responsibility for where you are now and although taking that first step may be tough, it’s these kinds of choices that’ll see you well into your “golden years” with a quality of life you can appreciate.

So if you think you’d like to make that first step towards a lifestyle of wellness, be sure to follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook page to learn simple daily choices that’ll help you move closer to your Wellness goals because without health it’s kinda difficult taking walks on the beach, playing with your kids or even taking a roll in the hay!

I guess I’d have to say that wellness is something that we may never actually fully attain. It’s a concept that we pursue. It’s a way of life. That constant propensity toward a more successful existence is what wellness really is. The goal of life is not to evade death, but to express ourselves at our highest levels. So take a look at what’s holding you back and learn to overcome those obstacles. If you’ve always wanted to learn to play the guitar, then go do it, if its pottery that floats your boat then go work with some clay, but the bottom line is, do it! Be Well.