Wednesday, May 29, 2002

Headaches and spinal health

Many people are not aware that headaches may be caused by nerve irritation or pressure in the upper cervical spine (neck), called Atlas neurovascular syndrome.

Dr. Jeffry Finnigan, the author of "Life Beyond Headaches," has been treating patients with headaches for more than 20 years.

"Paraphrased Dorland's Medical Dictionary tells us that health is a state of wholeness, in which all of the parts function at 100 percent all of the time," he said. "This is not the way we have been taught to think about health today, in a society where absence or elimination of symptoms is our focus. The concept of getting one's nerve system opened up through specific spinal adjustment, allowing the body parts to work more harmoniously advancing one's wellness, has long been the central theme in chiropractic."

Some may be concerned that they have a personality that produces headaches, he added, or overreact to situations and cause "stress" headaches. "Headaches are not caused by your mind, your stress level or your diet," he said. However, those factors can look like they are the very cause, simply because they are actually the triggers for headaches in most people ... those events will trigger headaches, but they are not the cause."

While Dr. Finnigan agrees that personality, stress, hormones and other factors play a contributing role in the continual production of this frustrating condition, he says that clinical evidence demonstrates that these factors do not cause headaches.

"The Atlas Orthogonal is a gentle, effective chiropractic technique used to restore function to the upper cervical spine, where the Atlas (C-1) misalignment can cause nerve interference (called subluxation)," he said. "This is where Atlas neurovascular syndrome originates."

Dr. Finnigan's book, "Life Beyond Headaches," is available at the Fayette County Library and at the Durden Chiropractic Clinic. This book will also be the topic of Durden's monthly health talk, tomorrow at 11 a.m.

The Durden Chiropractic Clinic is at 1130 Senoia Road, Suite B-4, and performs the Atlas Orthogonal chiropractic technique. The office files insurance and has massage therapy available. For more information, a free consultation or to attend the health talk, call 770-631-7600.

Dr. Marilyn Durden