Archive for January 2017

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Severe head pain / headache
• Dizziness
• Tightness in upper shoulders
• Tightness in shoulder blades
• Nausea
• Neck stiffness
• Shoulder tension
• Sinus pressure
• Nose stuffiness
• Eye pain / pressure
• Eye dryness / itchiness
• Ear fullness / pressure
• Jaw tightness / pain / clicking
• Tooth pain / pressure
• Arm pain / numbness

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

Main Symptoms
• Severe head pain / headache
• Dizziness
• Tightness in upper shoulders
• Tightness in shoulder blades
• Auras / visual disturbances (see below)
• Nausea
• Neck stiffness
• Shoulder tension
• Sinus pressure
• Nose stuffiness
• Eye pain / pressure
• Eye dryness / itchiness
• Ear fullness / pressure
• Jaw tightness / pain / clicking
• Tooth pain / pressure
• Arm pain / numbness
• Tingling in the hands and/or face

Aura Symptoms
• Auras often start less than an hour before the onset of a headache
• Sensitivity to light
• Vertigo, dizziness or “spinning” feeling
• Numbness and tingling
• Difficulty speaking
• Confusion or disorientation (aphasia)
• Changes of vision or “Visual Auras” including:

◦ Flashes of light
◦ Vision loss or temporary blindness in one or both eyes
◦ Shimmering spots or “stars”
◦ Blind spots (scotomas)
◦ Colored spots
◦ Tunnel vision
◦ Flashing lights
◦ Zigzag lines that slowly float across your vision field
◦ Object size & shape distortions
◦ Pulsating and shimmering patches

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Pressure, fullness, and pain in your forehead, brow, and cheeks
• Deep, constant pain in cheekbones, bridge of the nose, and forehead
• Facial swelling
• A feeling of fullness in your ears
• Worsening pain with sudden head movements, and gets worse when you bend down at the waist
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Lessened sense of smell
• Achy feeling in the upper teeth

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Pressure, fullness, and pain in your forehead, brow, and cheeks
• Deep, constant pain in cheekbones, bridge of the nose, and forehead
• Facial swelling
• A feeling of fullness in your ears
• Worsening pain with sudden head movements, and gets worse when you bend down at the waist
• Stuffy or runny nose
• Lessened sense of smell
• Achy feeling in the upper teeth

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

Usual Cases

• Numbness/tingling or pain in the upper shoulder, shoulder blade, arm, forearm, hand, or fingers and sometimes, chest pain
• The pain or symptoms usually starts in the neck and travel down the arm toward the elbow or hand
• More frequent or intense symptoms in one arm is common
• Certain neck movements, such as looking up and/or turning the head fully toward the same side as symptoms can symptom worsening within seconds

In more advanced cases:

• Arm and/or hand weakness, making opening jars, typing, writing, or lifting objects difficult
• Decreased sensation in the hand or fingers

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Extremely severe pains including:

◦ Spontaneous, sharp, shooting and jabbing pains in the face
◦ Electrical shock type pains in the head and face

• Pain, and often tingling in the cheek, teeth, jaw, lips, and gums (sometimes forehead & eyes as well)
 
Common Before Treatment:
• Sometimes even a light touch over the face or in the mouth can trigger these sharp pains
• Medical testing has failed to see anything wrong with you
• Doctors / specialists have left you with 2 main options:

◦ Various medication trials, which are typically only partially effective, and at higher dosages routinely have significant side effects, or
◦ Invasive nerve decompression surgeries, with unpredictable results and risk of serious trigeminal nerve injury, and other associated risks

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Throbbing, burning or aching pain at the base of the skull (where the upper neck meets the skull) 

(a) pain often moves up the back of the head and into the sides of the head
(b) intense to very intense pain - may be mistaken for a cluster headache

• Pain (usually sharp, stabbing, or electric shock-type pain) which radiates from the base of the skull into the eyes, nose, and sinuses
• Tightness in the upper shoulders and shoulder blades
• Limited motion when turning the head towards the side of pain
• Symptoms get worse as the day goes on (usually around early afternoon)
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Nausea 
• Constant burning pain which may lead to feeling "sore" near the base of the skull
• Extremely sensitive scalp region which is easily triggered by the smallest thing
• Pain behind the eye (sometimes only one-sided eye pain)
• Certain movements trigger pain bouts such as:

(a) turning your head to the side, or simply moving your neck
(b) putting your head on a pillow (meaning, lying on your back)
(c) washing and brushing your hair

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Visual changes that last 15 – 20 minutes (sometimes as long as 1 hour)-   sometimes occurs in just 1 eye

◦ Shimmering spots
◦ Blind spots
◦ Zigzag patterns
◦ Flashes of light
◦ Vision loss or temporary blindness (often in only 1 eye)

• Nausea/vomiting
• Headache on one side of the head
• Headache may worsen with neck movement
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
 
Common Before Treatment:
• May sometimes worsen into a general migraine pattern
• Visual disturbances get in the way of your normal, everyday activities, including working, driving, etc.

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Intense, excruciating, one-sided pain
• Eye: tears, intense pain, redness, and maybe swelling
• Nose: stuffy nose (frequently on the same side as the eye pain)
• Restlessness
• Forehead/facial swelling
• Drooping eyelid

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Weakness on one side of the body (including an arm and/or leg)
• Decreased muscle coordination
• Nausea
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Headache
• Aura symptoms and visual changes
• Numbness and tingling
• Mental "fog" and confusion
• Difficulty speaking clearly

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Dizziness and/or Vertigo (the latter, feeling as if the room is spinning):

◦ May be triggered when looking at moving objects
◦ Balance problems
◦ Motion sensitivity
◦ Unsteadiness - feeling like you’re rocking on a boat
◦ Sometimes lasts more than a few minutes – and in more advanced cases, days

• Nausea and vomiting
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Can occur with or without the throbbing headache that's typical of a migraine
• Lightheadedness
• Visual auras can occur
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus symptoms)
• Confusion or disorientation
• Partial or no relief with BPPV treatment

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Abdominal Pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting (sometimes)
• Appetite loss
• Pale skin
 
Common Before Treatment:
• Abdominal migraines in childhood
• Bouts seem to occur randomly
• Everything looks “normal” at checkups, but there’s clearly something wrong
• Can sometimes turn into a classic migraine​​​​​​

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Consistent migraines around monthly cycle
• Migraines: 

(a) usually start 1-2 days before
(b) usually last 2-3 days after

• Throbbing pain in the head, commonly worse on one side
• Nausea/vomiting
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Tightness in upper shoulders and shoulder blades
• Restricted range of motion - especially when turning the head toward the side of symptoms
• Persistent neck tightness and fatigue
• Symptoms get worse as the day goes on (usually around early afternoon)
• Symptoms commonly worse for first hour or so of the morning, due to awkward neck positioning while sleeping
• Non-throbbing, steady head pain that usually stays in the same place for extended periods of time
• Headaches can be triggered by various neck movements and sustained neck postures (for instance, at a computer) and may radiate into the eyes
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Blurry vision – often in one eye
• Nausea  
• Sudden head pain when sneezing, coughing, or looking upward for a sustained period
• Generally, relief of symptoms by lying down in a comfortable position

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Continuous headache pain that doesn't stop
• Generally, always on the same side of the head and face (Note: A small percentage experience pain on both sides of their head and face)
• Pain is moderate to severe in intensity
• Symptoms are present every single day for at least 3 months
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Nausea/vomiting
• Sinus pressure/stuffy nose

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Continuous headache pain that doesn't stop
• Generally, always on the same side of the head and face (Note: A small percentage experience pain on both sides of their head and face)
• Pain is moderate to severe in intensity
• Symptoms are present every single day for at least 3 months
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Nausea/vomiting
• Sinus pressure/stuffy nose

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

Ophthalmoplegic migraine has been reclassified more as neuralgia (nerve pain). That said, it commonly causes eye pain and/or pressure, as well as eye muscle incoordination and associated visual disturbances. Some even have an eyelid (or both eyelids) close for periods of time, which can be quite alarming.  

It's certainly worth an evaluation with this meticulous System to determine if we can help you. Our experience has shown that we can often reverse these problems by addressing multiple nerve systems that converge in the brainstem. We do this by naturally calming down the excessive firing of brainstem nerves cascading up from nerves in the neck.

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Vision Loss or Partial Vision Loss (Occurs most often in 1 eye)
• Scotomas or “black spots” in visual field
• Scintillations or light spots in visual field

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

You may be familiar with auras, which many experience before the onset of a migraine. Auras can include all different types of manifestations- not just visual (which is very common). Visual auras routinely include brief bouts of seeing curved or squiggly lines, vision loss, light sensitivity, or blurry vision. Auras that don't fit the visual category can consist of such things as dizziness, numbness, tingling, weakness, confusion, difficulty speaking, and in some instances, even vomiting.  

That said, silent migraines generally last only a few minutes, up to an hour- but without an associated headache.

We have found that brainstem hyper-activation from irritated nerves in the neck set these auras off. By reversing the neck nerve irritation, brainstem hyperactivity routinely calms down quickly and predictably. That has been our approach to rapidly reversing and consistently abolishing this seemingly-cryptic problem.   

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

Brainstem aura symptoms can be really frightening, as the aura manifestation can appear to be a really serious problem. Symptoms may act very similar to very serious disorders such as epilepsy, stroke, or transient ischemic attack. However, research points to elevated brainstem activity as the epicenter of the problem.   

We have found that brainstem hyper-activation from irritated nerves in the neck set these auras off, with rare exceptions. By reversing the neck nerve irritation, brainstem hyperactivity routinely calms down quickly and predictably. That has been our approach to rapidly reversing and consistently abolishing these seemingly very cryptic problems.  

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

Many headache and migraine sufferers unwittingly sabotage themselves, worsening pain and symptom problems by the way that they take medications. These medications may be over-the-counter pain relievers, or even by prescription. Some react negatively to taking a medication too often- for, say, three or more days per week. Most people do this in a cycle, medicating themselves too much for their physiology to handle. The "rebound" medication pattern is routinely a natural reaction when a pain reliever is wearing off. An increase in pain can prompt more medication use to continue symptom control. Therein lies the problem with rebound headaches.
  
There can be a "boomerang effect" with this pattern of medication over-use. For instance, in this scenario, you may experience the onset of chronic, daily headaches, which may be even more severe than usual. The realization of this negative effect exposes that the "fix" is worse than the underlying problem itself!  Basically, you'd be "rebounding" to a more intense and/or more frequent headache or migraine problem with what your body determines is an excessive frequency in medication use.

This Treatment is designed to abolish the underlying headache/migraine issues by calming down brainstem activation. Our consistent experience is that irritated nerves in the neck are responsible for underlying brainstem nerve up-regulation (irritability).

Of course, breaking the medication-overuse rebound headaches by tapering and/or stopping the problem medication(s) is warranted. However, it would make sense to address the underlying cause of the nerve irritation problems that produce your headaches and migraines in the first place. That's likely the best strategy to successfully accomplish weaning from problematic medications. 

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Visual changes that last 15 – 20 minutes (sometimes as long as 1 hour)-   sometimes occurs in just 1 eye

◦ Shimmering spots
◦ Blind spots
◦ Zigzag patterns
◦ Flashes of light
◦ Vision loss or temporary blindness (often in only 1 eye)

• Nausea/vomiting
• Headache on one side of the head
• Headache may worsen with neck movement
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Dizziness
• Neck pain & stiffness
• Hearing Loss
• Blurred Vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Tinnitus & ringing in ears
• Nausea
• Seizures (in some cases)

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Sudden, short head pain bursts
• Often occur in waves over a few hours
• Pains may occur in different/multiple areas of head at a time
• Can occur, in some cases upwards of 40 times/day

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Bouts often last between 15 minutes and 4 hours
• Most often occurs at nighttime & during sleep
• Sensitivity to sound
• Sensitivity to light
• Sharp head pain, often in bursts

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Unilateral head pain
• Ear fullness
• Nasal congestion

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

Associated Conditions & Symptoms
• Paroxysmal Hemicrania - Related Symptoms
• Cluster Headache - Related Symptoms
• Neuralgiform Headache (SUNCT & SUNA) - Related Symptoms
• Hemicrania Continua - Related Symptoms
• Probable Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalagia - Related Symptoms

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Unilateral / one-sided pain (especially around forehead, eye, or temple)
• Bouts often occur 10-20 times per day
• Pain behind one eye
• Eye irritation and in some cases swelling
• Nasal / sinus congestion
• Light & sound sensitivity
• Face flushing

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Often unilateral, one-sided pain
• Sensitivity to sound
• Sensitivity to light
• Mild nausea
• Tightening pain sensations

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Continuous headache pain that doesn't stop
• Generally, always on the same side of the head and face (Note: A small percentage experience pain on both sides of their head and face)
• Pain is moderate to severe in intensity
• Symptoms are present every single day for at least 3 months
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sound
• Nausea/vomiting
• Sinus pressure/stuffy nose

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Often unilateral, one-sided pain
• May include visual disturbances
• Sensitivity to sound & light
• Nausea & vomiting

Symptoms We Treat:

Note: Symptoms we treat often include other complications in addition to those listed below, and in some cases, not all symptoms (listed below) are always present.

• Commonly prodding, pressure-like pain
• Pain commonly occurs in the parietal region of the scalp
• Fixed pain generally isolated in a specific elliptical or circular-shaped location
• Tingling & numbness