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Cluster headaches are often confused with migraine clusters.Though a few symptoms set them apart, it does not make clusterheadaches less annoying or painful. Cluster headaches are aheadache disorder affecting about 1 to 2 out of every 1,000individuals.
They are a series of short and extremely painful headaches thatoccur every day from weeks up to months at a time. These headachescan last from 15 to an excruciating 180 minutes that focus on oneside of the head.
Cluster headaches do not have to continue being a burden and anatural treatment for cluster headaches does exist.
What is the Difference Between Cluster Headachesand Migraine Clusters?
Before listing the symptoms of cluster headaches, we will goover the difference between cluster headaches and migraineclusters. The following symptoms are found in migraineclusters:
- Nausea
- Sensitivity to light, sound, and smell
- Throbbing or pulsing sensation
- Auras
A migraine will also bring about the following symptoms thatoccur before it hits:
- Change in mood
- Increased thirst
- Stiffness in neck
- Constipation
As with cluster headaches, cluster headaches typically happen incycles of weeks or months. The pain associated with clusterheadaches are extremely painful and is situated on one side of thehead.
When comparing cluster headaches to migraines, they do not lastas long as migraines do. While cluster headaches are short burstsof headaches that come “in and out”, migraines can last for hoursare a time.
The cause of cluster headaches is not exactly clear, whilehormones seem to have a link with causing migraines. Those whosuffer from cluster headaches can begin to become agitated duringthe experience and find it hard to keep still. When suffering froma migraine, the sufferer prefers dark, quiet rooms.
Cluster Headache Symptoms
Now that we know the difference in cluster headaches andmigraine clusters, what exactly are the symptoms found in clusterheadaches?
When it comes to cluster headaches, the pain is located on sideof the head. This pain from cluster headaches is severe and cansometimes move towards the back of the head. The following symptomsmay occur on the same side of the pain the person experiencesduring the cluster headache:
- Nasal congestion
- Sweating on forehead or the face
- Small pupil size
- Tearing or watering of the eye
- Red eye
- Swelling of the eyelid
- Runny nose
- Drooping of the eyelid
Is There a Natural Treatment for ClusterHeadaches?
Most treatments for cluster headaches result to takinginjections, prescription drugs, preventive medication, oxygen,nasal spray, and, if all else fails, surgery. However, since thecause of cluster headaches is unclear, these treatments revolvearound targeting the symptoms of your cluster headaches instead ofpermanently fixing the cause.
Nonetheless, even though there is no known cause of clusterheadaches, it does not mean an effective natural treatment does notexist. While the unnatural treatments try reducing the symptoms,they work by forcefully altering your body’s natural response.
Surgical procedures for cluster headaches depend on blockingyour trigeminal nerve. This nerve is a pathway for pain andcontrols the area around your eye. If the trigeminal nerve isinjured, there could be a loss of sensation to the head andface.
The most recommended treatment for cluster headaches is one thathelps your body’s health improve and strengthen from the inside toalleviate the symptoms and diminish the occurrence of clusterheadaches. To do this, we need to look to the upper cervicalspine.
Upper Cervical: A Safe and Effective ClusterHeadache Treatment?
The brain stem is in your upper cervical spine, along withnerves that can cause false sense of pain and, believe it or not,cause migraines and headaches to occur. When one of the top twobones of your spine, known as your upper cervical spine, areknocked out of alignment, they can press up against the brain stemand surrounding nerves.
Pressure placed on your brain stem can cause a disruption toyour natural brain to body communication – making it to wheresignals sent are misinterpreted or fail to send. When this happens,the body’s natural response is negatively affected – causing bodilyissues that can lead to the onset of different conditions you mighthave never had before.
In addition, this pressure can reduce the amount of blood,oxygen, sent to the brain. This can cause headaches and migrainesto become an issue. Although cluster headaches have no known cause,those who suffered from cluster headaches notice an improvement totheir condition after having this pressure removed from the brainstem area.
When we look at surgical procedures for cluster headaches, whichare considered the treatment used as a “last resort”, theseprocedures look to blocking the trigeminal nerve.
Trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain conditionthat affects the trigeminal nerve, responds extremely well to uppercervical treatments. This is because the trigeminal nerve can beaffected by the upper cervical spine if a vertebra falls out ofalignment and causes pressure.
If upper cervical alignments help the trigeminal nerve functionproperly and surgical procedures for cluster headaches look toblocking the trigeminal nerve, we start to see why upper cervicalalignments for cluster headache treatments make sense and have seenpositive results from those who have experienced clusterheadaches.
For migraine sufferers, upper cervical treatments have helpedmany of them. Even those that have had chronic migraines have seengreat improvement. Some patients with cluster migraines have nothad a migraine attack until years after an upper cervical alignmentwhile others still have not had them return at all.
Upper cervical corrections have helped the trigeminal nerve,headaches, and migraine sufferers. To know that surgical proceduresused as a last resort for cluster headaches result in blocking thetrigeminal nerve (and issues with the trigeminal nerve can causeheadaches and migraines), it makes sense as to why upper cervicalcorrections can work as an effective cluster headachetreatment.
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