Neck Pain & Headaches: Finding the Root Cause Part 2

This week’s episode is a continuation of last week’s about neck pain and headaches. If you missed part 1, listen here: https://maxliving.com/podcast/episode-21-neck-pain-and-headaches-finding-the-root-cause/

Today, Dr. Nick Wilson and Dr. Traci Gross discuss multiple factors that could contribute to neck pain headaches including dehydration, toxicity, and misalignment of the alar ligament.

Dehydration isn’t always due to the fact that it’s hot outside and you need more water. Most people don’t realize that coffee, soda, or any other caffeinated drinks are known as dehydrants. Dr. Nick says you have to “drink 4 cups of water” in order to make up for just the acidity in these drinks alone. An easy way to analyze if you’re dehydrated is by looking at your urine when first you wake up in the morning. If your urine is clear, you’re not dehydrated, but if it’s yellow – you need to drink more water. When you hydrate, it’s important to be aware of what kind of water you’re drinking. Dr. Traci mentions that you shouldn’t drink water out of the tap because it could contain toxins and chemicals that are harmful to your body.

Toxicity in tap water is extremely prevalent being that it doesn’t get filtered. There are numerous heavy metals such as arsenic or lead, and other chemicals that can be disruptive towards your brain. Dr. Nick says that if your water is contaminated, you can do what’s called “reverse osmosis” to filter it out. If you do this, make sure to add back the minerals into your water though because reverse osmosis filters them out.

The third, and often overlooked cause for neck pain and headaches is misalignment of the alar ligament. This is normally caused by trauma such as whiplash, or getting hit in the head, making the ligament stretch and misalign more easily. Dr. Nick explains an at home test you can do to see if your alar ligament is damaged is by closing your eyes, waiting a few seconds and tilting your head straight back. If your head rotates to one side, you might have a stretched out alar ligament.

If you or someone you know struggles with neck pain and headaches, there is a possible solution. By visiting a MaxLiving chiropractor, they can find the root cause of the problem by doing tests and structural x-rays to see where the spinal misalignment is. Once they figure that out, they can work with you to correct their problem through patient-specific intentional care in order to help you achieve your optimal health.

We encourage you to share this episode with someone you know who struggles with neck pain and headaches – it could change their life! Find a MaxLiving office near you: https://maxliving.com/locations/

Learn more about how chiropractic care can alleviate your neck pain and headaches: https://maxliving.com/healthy-articles/back-pain-neck-pain-discovering-chiropractic-care-and-what-to-expect/

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