Migraines affect both men and women and can make daily life more difficult. When you have a migraine, you may have trouble concentrating on tasks that once came easy. As a chiropractor, can confirm, migraines are still widely misunderstood. Here are some common myths about migraines.

Migraines are the Same Regular Headaches

Some people use the terms “migraines” and “headaches” interchangeably. However, they are not the same thing. Migraines are much more severe than headaches and don’t just cause throbbing in an area of your head. They often come with other symptoms, including dizziness, fatigue, nausea, sensory sensitivity and neck pain.

People Claim They Have Migraines to Get Out of Their Obligations

Sadly, it is still believed that some people may use migraines as an excuse to get out of going to work or tending to their other responsibilities. This just is not true. People with migraines are not just faking it and truly struggle with their daily activities. They may experience migraines that are so painful that they can’t do anything besides lie in bed.

All Migraines Are the Same 

This is not true either. Not all people experience the same types of migraines. Some may have fairly mild migraines while others may experience debilitating migraines. Likewise, not everyone experiences vomiting with their migraines.

Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers Often Help Migraines

Over-the-counter pain medications can help relieve the occasional headache, but they’re usually not sufficient enough to alleviate migraines. Migraines are often too complex and require other treatments.

Changing Your Diet Can Cure Migraines

While it certainly never hurts to clean up your diet, you should not expect it to make your migraines go away. There are many contributing factors of migraines, such as lack of sleep and stress, so eating better won’t necessarily cure them.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help Migraines

When you think about treatments for migraines, you might not automatically imagine chiropractic care. However, chiropractic adjustments have helped many people alleviate their migraines. An adjustment can fix misalignments in the spine, which can increase your body’s ability to manage pain caused by migraines. Chiropractic therapy is also safer than other treatment methods, like prescription medications.

If you deal with frequent migraines, you may want to schedule an appointment with a reputable chiropractor.