Headaches: A barrier in the bedroom?
“Not tonight, dear. I have a …”
If you can finish that sentence, you are well aware of the longstanding association between headaches and people’s sex lives. While the “I have a headache” statement is something of a pop-culture punch line, research actually validates the causal relationship.
Littleton, CO Oct. 2, 2012 – Survey results posted by "Everyday Health" note that 69 percent of respondents reported avoiding sex when headaches hit them. And a 2012 report released by the "Journal of Sexual Medicine" concluded that 90 percent of women suffering from tension-related or migraine headaches also report sexual problems.
"Most patients who suffer from chronic headaches have learned to manage their pain,” says Dr. Randy L. James, DC, BCAO. “But it's the impact that pain has on their everyday lives that bothers them the most. From spending time with their children to things as intimate as their sex life everything seems to be affected. "On a basic level, people in pain find it just plain difficult to get into a physically expressive mood. Especially in the case of severe symptoms such as those associated with migraines, the body and mind shut off other stimulus to concentrate on the damaging sensations.
Headache pain can diminish the production of serotonin, the neuro-signaling chemical that helps regulate mood, sleep and other vital functions. The lower the serotonin level, the more likely a sufferer will deal with fatigue, depression and other blockades to intimacy.
Headache triggers
Studies of the effects of headaches on sexual performance typically focus on women, because most migraine patients are female. Headache triggers for women may include her menstrual cycle, pregnancy hormones, food allergies and lack of sleep.
Men can also bear the effects of pain on their sex drive. Hypertension, stress, pituitary conditions and even smoking can lead to headaches and related erectile dysfunction.
Going beyond aspirin
For most people coming down with a headache, the first impulse is to head for the medicine cabinet. But 20 percent of headaches are severe enough to be unaffected by over-the-counter treatments.
People whose tension or migraine headaches seem to be a chronic condition unresponsive to over-the-counter medications may discover a solution in seeking out the services of a chiropractor. But many people find the idea of traditional “neck cracking” an unsuitable alternative.
A gentle approach
For these people, the ideal treatment is an upper-neck procedure – called Atlas Orthogonal – that uses no manipulation and offers a more comfortable experience for the patient.
Not every chiropractor can perform this advanced technique; in fact, this more gentle approach requires postgraduate certification. As of today, Colorado has only two board-certified doctors offering Atlas Orthogonal. One of them is Dr. Randy James. An honors graduate from the prestigious Palmer College of Chiropractic, he has been trained by some of the best doctors in the world to identify spinal/musculoskeletal conditions.
Atlas Orthogonal, a method that focuses on correcting the Atlas (top vertebra) to be in alignment with the spine, “is a proven way to treat the cause of headaches without drugs or surgery,” says Dr. James. “In fact it is safe for people who have undergone spinal fusion.”
Comfortable, affordable and effective
For patients dedicated to breaking the cycle of migraine pain without undergoing traditional “neck cracking,” Atlas Orthogonal offers a gentle, virtually stress-free treatment. “Most people notice vast improvement within two to three weeks,” says Dr. James. “And this is an affordable method of treatment.”
Lasting benefits
The gentle, non-manipulative Atlas Orthogonal treatment advocated by Dr. James offers ongoing relief based on the correct alignment of head and spine. For men and women whose sex lives are currently compromised by headache pain, this simple, comfortable and affordable option can be the answer.
Dr. Randy L James, DC, BCAO is one of only two doctors in the state of Colorado board-certified to perform the Atlas Orthogonal procedure. Over the last ten years, Dr. James has helped hundreds of headache sufferers make the switch from living a life confined by their pain, to living a life free from pain.
Those who want to find out if their headaches will respond to the Atlas Orthogonal procedure, can consult Dr. Randy L. James at 303-795-7530, and request a free copy of “The Headache Report: What Millions Of Americans Like You Are Now Doing To Finally Eliminate Their Headache Pain!”
