Displaying items by tag: headache treatment

Chronic headaches are often one of the easiest bodily pains to recognize. Most people can tell you what makes them feel better – whether it’s lying down, drinking water, taking aspirin, or getting out of bed. But there are many types of chronic headaches, each with its own causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. In terms of natural non-invasive treatment, biofeedback can help alleviate chronic headaches.

Few things are as pervasive, disruptive, or unpleasant as migraine attacks. Migraines can last anywhere from a few hours to several days, and it's estimated at least 12% of U.S. adults suffer from migraines. To help you reduce your frequency of migraines, we asked our migraine specialist in Dallas to share some advice.

Few things are as debilitating, frustrating, and painful as a migraine. Millions of people experience migraines each year, and those throbbing pains can greatly interfere with your daily life. But with the right migraine treatment in Denver, you can get the relief that you need in the short and long term.

To help you alleviate those painful symptoms, we're outlining the top local treatments for migraine headaches.

What Are Migraines?

As per the American Migraine Foundation, migraines are inherited neurological disorders that are characterized by over-excitability of specific areas of the brain. Migraines are different for everyone and can last hours or even days. Some of the most common symptoms include:

• Sensitivity to light, sounds, and smells
• Fatigue
• Throbbing head pains, typically isolated to one side of the head
• Vision issues (e.g., tunnel vision, loss of sight, hallucinations, etc.)
• Mood changes
• An inability to focus

As we just mentioned, it's important to keep in mind that migraines are different for everyone. So, one treatment may work well for others, but it might not deliver the same results for your tension headaches.

Effective Treatments for Chronic Migraines

There is no cure for migraine pain. However, you can treat your migraines and even prevent them by using a handful of treatments.

There are two types of migraine treatments: (1) acute and (2) preventive.

Acute treatments aim to provide short-term relief from a migraine attack by quickly alleviating symptoms. The most common acute treatments are prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications.

Preventive treatments work to help reduce the chance of a migraine headache occurring at all. These preventative approaches aim to be more proactive about your headaches rather than reactive.

Let's dive into some of the top preventative treatments for these types of headaches.

Preventive Medications

Preventive medicines offer a convenient way to prevent migraine attacks. These medicines fall into seven different categories:

• Angiotensin II blockers
• Anti-convulsants
• Anti-serotonergic drugs
• Beta-blockers
• Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) pathway monoclonal antibodies (MABs)
• Calcium channel blockers/antagonists
• Tricyclic antidepressants

While these drugs can help prevent and reduce the frequency/severity of migraine attacks, they may come with side effects (e.g., nausea, fatigue, etc.). The medications will also take six to eight weeks to take effect, so don't expect quick results from these meds. Always consult with your doctor prior to taking a new medication to avoid potential risks.

Psychotherapy and Counseling

If you prefer a non-drug approach to treat your migraines for good, then you may want to seek out psychotherapy services. Research has shown that behavioral treatments, like cognitive-based therapy, can help reduce the frequency and severity of migraines (Everyday Health).

This is due to the brain's neuroplasticity. The brain can form and reorganize pathways in response to the things that we do every day. Counseling/Psychotherapy will enable you to reframe your thought patterns to help alleviate symptoms and better manage your headaches.

Neurofeedback

Another great way to retrain your brain and minimize future migraines is neurofeedback therapy.

Neurofeedback is a non-invasive, drug-free brain training treatment. It uses real-time feedback about your brainwave patterns to help you learn how to better responds to migraine triggers and stressors.

Similar to psychotherapy, neurofeedback relies on the neuroplasticity of the brain. By using a positive reward system and operant conditioning, neurofeedback helps you develop new pathways in the brain.

This therapy will ultimately help you improve brain function and address any neurological imbalances. In doing so, you'll experience migraine relief in the short and long term.

Plus, there are virtually no side effects to this innovative therapy. It's an all-natural, holistic, and effective treatment for migraines and many other conditions.

Start Your Custom Migraine Treatment in Denver with Braincode Centers

We know how incapacitating these chronic headaches can be. Fortunately, we can help at Braincode Centers.

We have many skilled neurofeedback technicians and brain training specialists on staff that can help address your migraine pains. We'll create a personalized treatment plan for you that seamlessly integrates neurofeedback into your other migraine therapies. Our goal is to help you experience better quality of life, and we'll work hard to help keep your migraine attacks at bay.

Contact Braincode Centers today to set up your migraine treatment in Denver with our neurofeedback specialists.