Category Archives: Headaches

How Water Affects Your Wellness

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On this post I wanted to discuss the importance of hydration. A lot of problems that people experience can be traced back to their hydration habits. First, let’s look at how water helps our bodies function.

Water is used for many of the body’s chemical processes and is the major component in dealing with oxidative stress and free radicals. Oxygen (which makes up a water molecule) has the ability to lend electrons to other molecules. When there are positively charged free radicals floating in our system, oxygen can bind with them and keep them from damaging our DNA and cells. Without proper hydration and an adequate supply of oxygen in our system, our body can’t eliminate waste materials from the cells and the free radicals that are created. This is the reason why drinking a sufficient amount of water each day makes a difference. I learned this lesson the hard way when I did my very first Iron Man event.

I was down in St. George and the day of the race the temp spiked at just over 94°. At these temperatures, even drinking as much water as you can, your body can’t keep up with the water loss as you’re exercising outside. I became so dehydrated that I was on the verge of heat stroke when the race was over. It took me almost 6 months to recover from this event.

Some of the first signs and symptoms of dehydration or chronic dehydration is chronic muscle tension and spasms, headaches, neck pain, and low back pain. Over a long period of time, chronic dehydration can lead to degeneration of your intervertebral discs, arthritis and a myriad of other problems.

The daily amount of water you should intake is determined by your bodyweight. I currently weigh 200 pounds, which means I need to intake half that amount in ounces of water per day. That means 100 ounces per day. That does not include the increase that you need to have if you are exercising rigorously for up to an hour a day. For each 20 to 30 minutes of rigorous exercise you should increase your water intake by another 20 ounces to help deal with the water loss that occurs when you sweat. Not only do you need that extra water to keep from dehydrating, you need to replenish your stores because you continue to lose water at an increased rate for several hours after you exercise. When you do this, it allows your immune system to function better, you have increased healing, and your recovery time is decreased significantly.

It’s really easy to become dehydrated in the heat of the summer, even when we’re not doing more than just being outside. I hope that you will all take a serious look at the amount of water that you’re taking in and make sure that you’re getting enough so that you can live a healthier and happier life.

Sincerely Dr. Milton Carroll DC

 

Have a splitting headache?

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Payson, Utah — If you have a headache, you are not alone. Nine out of ten Americans suffer from headaches. Some are occasional, some frequent, some are dull and throbbing, and some cause debilitating pain and nausea.

Headaches have many causes. Ninety-five percent are primary headaches, such as tension, migraine, or cluster headaches. These types of headaches are not caused by disease. The headache itself is the primary concern. Only about 5 percent of all headaches are warning signals caused by physical problems or disease.

The majority of primary headaches are associated with muscle tension in the neck. Dr. Ted Koren, D.C. reports on one study of 6,000 long term headaches sufferers (2-25years) that revealed neck injury (whiplash, falls) was the most important factor in the cause of headaches.

He says, “A tiny distortion or misalignment of the spine can stress the nervous system that controls your body and this can cause headaches. Anything that stresses your body can cause this misalignment.”

Another important factor is that Americans engage in more sedentary activities than they used to, and more hours are spent in one fixed position or posture. This can increase muscle tension in the neck, upper back and scalp, causing your head to ache.

So when people ask me how to “avoid headaches” here are my suggestions:

1). If you spend a large amount of time in one fixed position, such as in front of a computer, or a sewing machine, typing, or reading, do some forward head rolls and shoulder rolls. If you have trouble remembering to stop working, set a timer for 30 minutes, when it goes off, it’s time for a break. You may need to have your desk, chair, and computer evaluated for sitting postures. Changing your work height and position can make your body more at ease. You will feel less pain and stiffness, and reduce the chances of hurting yourself. If you would like us to evaluate your sitting posture and then give you specific solutions to correct it, please call our office.

2). Low impact exercise may help relieve the pain associated with primary headaches. However, if you are prone to dull, throbbing headaches, avoid heavy exercise. Engage in such activities as walking and low-impact aerobics.

3). Avoid teeth clenching. The upper teeth should never touch the lower teeth, except when chewing and swallowing. Teeth clenching results in tension of the two joints that connect your jaw to your skull – leading to TMJ and tension headaches.

4).Increase your water intake. The general rule is, take your body weight and divide by two and that is how many ounces a day you should be drinking.

5). Get checked by a chiropractor. Dr. Ted Koren also reports of a study at the University of Odense, Denmark, where headache sufferers used chiropractic care and reduced their use of painkillers by 36%, and the number of headache hours by 69%.

If you have any questions you can post a comment to the blog or calls us, (see contact us for our number).