Miami and Coral Gables, FL
Do you suffer from frequent headaches? It so, it is likely that your current treatment regimen, although nipping your pain in the bud, is not working so well at reducing the frequency of your headaches. It is common for many physicians to treat headaches with pain medications that are more of a Band-Aid approach. The problem being that your headaches still occur, frequently, and it is getting in the way of your life!
Headaches cannot be treated the same way in every single patient. However, whatever the cause of your headaches, prevention—stopping them before they start—is the ideal option.
If you have painful headaches on a regular basis, consider taking these preventative steps.
A headache diary is the first step. Keeping a chronicle of your headaches will allow a medical professional to track their frequency, their intensity, and any environmental or behavioral conditions that may be contributing to the onset of the headaches. One exception to this tip is if you suffer headaches after experiencing head trauma; if this happens to you, seek medical care as soon as possible.
Where to start
Try changing your lifestyle. Stress can certainly trigger headaches in anyone. However, take steps to try and reduce your stress levels such as exercise, yoga, and meditation all can combat stress headaches. Sometimes, one’s diet can contribute to headaches. You also can try to eliminate MSG or diminish sodium in your diet, both of which may trigger a painful headache. Be sure to read labels of foods that you eat from a box or that are processed. These types of foods are more than likely to contain these ingredients that trigger your headaches. Also, if you eat out at a restaurant, be sure to ask about these ingredients in the foods that you will be ordering. Another lifestyle change to consider is if you use tobacco products and alcohol, you may want to reduce how your consumption or quit all together. Smoking and excessive use of alcohol also can cause a nasty headache.
Your posture also may be the culprit. Sit up straight. Stretch the neck and shoulders whenever possible. You may be surprised how much these simple steps can help muscle relaxation and prevent headaches.
If you suffer from frequent, painful headaches and traditional headache remedies only treat the pain and not the frequency, then a dental issue could be the cause. Temporomandibular joint disorder, known as TMJ, can cause headaches of migraine-like intensity. This happens because, when the temporomandibular joint becomes misaligned, it can aggravate the trigeminal nerve, which delivers more than half of the total sensory input to the brain than any other neural pathway in the body. These headaches will not respond as well to usual migraine medications, and if TMJ is the cause, they will not diminish in frequency unless the TMJ itself is treated.
A specialization of dentistry known as neuromuscular dentistry has special experience and training to diagnose and treat TMJ. If you think you suffer from TMJ or another medical professional has diagnosed you with the disorder, call our office at (305) 595-4616 to schedule a consultation today.
Miami Designer Smiles is proud to serve patients in Miami and Coral Gables.