My mom goes to a chiropractor for whatever, and she mentioned that I have CH's.  He said he could help me.  I'm not getting anywhere with my neurologist (he's giving me topamax now), and I'm stuck with him.  I decided to see what the chiropractor had to say and made an appt. for next week.  It can't hurt, right?  Have any of you ever heard of a chiropractor being able to help?

SimplyBecky wrote on Mar 11^th, 2011 at 3:11pm:

My mom goes to a chiropractor for whatever, and she mentioned that I have CH's.  He said he could help me.  I'm not getting anywhere with my neurologist (he's giving me topamax now), and I'm stuck with him.  I decided to see what the chiropractor had to say and made an appt. for next week.  It can't hurt, right?  Have any of you ever heard of a chiropractor being able to help?

No.

    Potter

Hi SimplyBecky

Agree with Potter, don't pray to false Gods plz.
A can of WD 40 would probably do you more good!

Respect (and well oiled)

Gary

Chiropractors are useful for some of the secondary damage you do to yourself during an attack. Scrunching up your shoulder and neck fighting the beast. Several on the board use them for that purpose.

If he tells you he can stop or in any way modify your CH's, he is either un-educated or a liar.

Joe

Becky,

I am a chiropractor and a cluster headache sufferer for 17 years. I have been practicing for 11 years and I have tried every chiropractic adjustment you can think about. Let me tell you right now a chiropractic adjustment is not going to stop your headache. As Joe said I can help a tension headache even a migraine but I can not stop a cluster headache or end a cycle period!!!!!!

Most chiropractors and MD's for that matter do not even know what a cluster headache is!! I would recommend you looking into the oxygen information. Or a good prevent like verapamil-lithium (sounds like you need a good headache specialist). I am having great results with Batch's Vitamin D-fish oil-cal-zinc  formula.

In my 11 years of practicing I think I've seen 3 cluster headache patients---The first thing I do is refer them to my Headache specialists (neuro who will get them a script for O2 and prednisone and start them on a prevent) I also give them this website to research. Hope you get some relief soon!!!

Hi Red,
And thank you for that informed observation!, this is what we really want,
validation from the horses mouth!
The experience of pain of the peeps on here is rock solid and can never be denied, it is irrefutable,
and a priceless source of help to new and old...

Respect

Gary

Red Ryder, that's a huge help.  For years I've been telling my mom this guy is a quack.  I've never been to a chiropractor and didn't know what to expect.  He seems to think every illness out there is related to food.  So I guess for the last 8 years I've been eating a certain food every fall/winter that gives me CH's?  I don't buy that.  I realize I'm no doctor, but it just makes no sense.

However, answer me this:  can HE give me oxygen since my idiot neurologist won't?

Good on ya Red Ryder!!  [smiley=clap2.gif] - for not giving false hopes as a Chiropractor once did to me!!  It actually triggered my CH - I went twice and both times I left and within 5 minutes WHAM!!  I never went back.
I'm a massage therapist and not even deep tissue, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release, or craniosacral therapy will help stop the CH's and believe me I've had numerous colleagues who have tried everything we've collectively known. I may as well have tried voodoo!
As Red said, this cycle I was helped the most by: Oxygen, vitamin D3/fish oil etc.., a Prednisone taper, and Verapamil.

Chiropractors in most states can't prescribe. There are a few state exceptions for certain things. But, I highly doubt he can write you a script for O2, sorry.

I didn't think they could, but I wasn't sure.  I'm in PA and PA...well, sucks.  We have a law for everything.  Oh, well.  He can at least relieve some of the tension in my neck and shoulders.  I hope.

Not everything is black or white. Chiropractors have their place. I've been happy with mine for almost 20 years. When I screw up my frame, mine sets me right.

A few years ago, my chiro told me that she would try to see what could be done for my CH. She asked me to give her three visits a week for two weeks, and if she couldn't get results, she wouldn't charge me a dime.

She didn't, and she didn't. I would hardly call that quackery.

Re: the oxygen. If you're stuck with a doc that won't write a script for it, you need to take matters into your own hands. You can lay all the blame you want while you suffer, or you can do something to change your situation. Your choice.

Well said Brew, as a chiropractor I am very proud of my profession. I know my limitations though. There is always someone in any health care field that claim they have the magic drug, adjustment, juice, etc..  to cure anything.. so sad that they have given others a stigma. Glad you have found a great chiropractor to help you with your non CH-or secondary muscle related issues.  Jay

I love Chiropractors, I live in Davenport Iowa, we probably have one Chiropractor per 100 people..LOL Palmer College is here and it's amazing how many people come here to school and decide to stay.

I'm a true believer but not for CH.

My daughters’ piano teacher’s mum is a naturopath, so I was talking to her about getting some kudzu. When I mentioned cluster headaches, she said that cluster headaches are usually caused by misalignment in the neck, and that I should see a chiropractor. She was a nice lady…. But obviously had no idea what CHs are!!!

I also believe though that chiros have their place. I saw one once, when I had a real sore tailbone, and after one adjustment it was all better and I never had to go back.

I agree too that a chiro could be very useful to help undo the damage of the tension built up during a CH cycle!! I have always had problems with my jaw, and when this latest cycle was coming to an end, I think the main reason I wasn’t sure if it was really over was that I was getting a lot of pain in my ears which would come and go. Then I figured that I should not give credit to the Beast for every pain from my neck up, so I spoke to the doc and he said that since my jaw sounded like a 200 year old clunky train, I had probably been clenching my jaw a lot during my headaches and that was causing the pain. No doubt others are doing similar damage to their backs!!!

Quote:

When I mentioned cluster headaches, she said that cluster headaches are usually caused by misalignment in the neck, and that I should see a chiropractor. She was a nice lady…. But obviously had no idea what CHs are!!!

This kind of thing is not unique to naturopaths. It is borne of arrogance and can strike any profession. ;)

Brew wrote on Mar 21^st, 2011 at 9:43pm:

Quote: When I mentioned cluster headaches, she said that cluster headaches are usually caused by misalignment in the neck, and that I should see a chiropractor. She was a nice lady…. But obviously had no idea what CHs are!!! This kind of thing is not unique to naturopaths. It is borne of arrogance and can strike any profession. ;)

I was even told that by a respiratory consultant. I just told him that he really should keep up with current medical knowledge and the latest research as he was totally wrong. He didn't seem to be to impressed as it was in front of several of his medical students.

You know what I think discussions like this show? How very, very lucky we are.

The BAD parts for us are that we suffer debilitating pain. Which most people - including doctors, other health care professional, our families, our friends, our colleagues - do not understand and often show no sympathy for. Our condition often goes undiagnosed or poorly treated for a long, long time. Even when we are treated with the most effective treatments that are known, our life is never the same. The pain is helped, but it still comes and still impacts our lives. We still have painful, interfering people like Ghiassi who annoy us (and sometimes entertain us  ;D) and caring people who also end up annoying us and sometimes holding us back, even though they love us and they are well-intentioned. And we have pain, and pain, and pain.

But what we have is not life-threatening (except of course in the situation of those poor souls who simply cannot get relief and see only one drastic way to find a way out). It's not a progressive disease that sees us lose all of our bodily functions. And, we have each other.

The people who suffer from cancer and obscure neurological or psychiatric or kidney or liver diseases or all sorts of other diseases that can eventually kill or maim, are still exposed to the same sorts of unsympathetic and unethical and half-cocked medical opinions and "treatment" that we do, and the consequences can be much higher. We are here encouraging each other to be our own advocates, and to fight to get what we know to be the best treatment out there. And yet other patients really don't have much other choice than to follow their medical advice blindly! Or at least, they don't believe they do.

At least in our tiny small numbers, people can come here and we can give them consistent advice (most of the time :) )

Well said!
:)