Migraines Triggered By Blood Flow Changes in Upper Neck

It’s been long understood that blood flow changes in the brain is a trigger for migraines. What is not so clear is the exact triggers of these changes. New research out of the University of Calgary is showing that spinal misalignment in the upper neck can cause congestion of venous drainage from the head and be a trigger for migraines.

The chronic migraine patients in this study were examined using state-of-the-art, dynamic MRI technology in determining how the brain’s vascular system and brain function respond to an optimal NUCCA correction. It was found that venous drainage of the brain improved following the NUCCA correction. The majority of subjects reported significant improvement in their migraine symptoms, totally eliminating headache pain in many.

These are significant findings considering that at least 3 million women and 1 million men suffer from migraines in Canada. If there are friends or family members that suffer from migraines please let them know about this latest research. We may be able to help.

Dr. Jim Moore and Dr. Craig Deprez

Ottawa Marathon

The Ottawa Marathon is getting close. For some, this is great news, it's a chance to finally put all those grueling training sessions to the test. For others, it's a harsh reality that they are quite far behind in their training. If this is your first time running a Marathon, Half-Marathon, 10k, or 5k, first and foremost, Congratulations! Whether it is your first or your 50^th it is quite an accomplishment. I have 5 last minute training and race day tips to help you get ready for the big day.

1. Start doing trial-runs of race day- What I mean by this is, is during your long run for the week try to simulate race day as much as possible. Wake up at the same time as you will have to on race day. Eat the same breakfast that you plan to on rest day. Make sure you know exactly which pair of shoes and which pair of shorts you will be wearing on race day. When the day arrives you will be anxious so anything that can be planned and laid out the days prior should be planned early. This includes the route to the race as well as parking.
   

2. Stay Positive- If this is your first time running a race, your goal should just be to finish. Take in the sights and sounds of the day and see what your body is capable of. It might be motivating to find out that you could have gone faster and that feeling will drive you to beat your time for the following race. If you do have a goal pace, remember there are a lot of things out of your control like heat, humidity and wind, so don't get down on yourself if you don't reach your goal pace.
   

3. Start Slow- This tip is more for the marathoners and half-marathoners than it is for the 10k/5k group. Use the first few kilometers as a feeler for how you feel on that day. It is much more important to be able to finish strong than it is to start strong. Even if you feel great after the gun you will need all the glycogen you have in order to finish the race.
   

4. Add stretching and yoga to your training regimen. I do not recommend static stretching(holding a stretch to the point of tension for at least 15 seconds) as a warm up as it causes micro-tearing of the muscles. That is better saved for after your daily run. As a warm-up it is better to do movement based stretches such as high kicks, butt kicks, or jumping jacks.
   

5. Take time for yourself- The last few weeks before a marathon is where injuries tend to creep up as your total distance tends to be increasing. At Moore Chiropractic and Moore Massage we take care of marathoners daily, helping athletes perform their best.
   

Good Luck and Have Fun

Don't Just Survive...Thrive!

Don't Just Survive...Thrive!




When most patients make their way to our practice, they are generally in some sort of discomfort to which they would like some relief. Now being a structural chiropractor I have to explain to them that it is not their pain directly that I will be dealing with, it is correcting their structure. Why is it that I may be talking about correcting your neck if it is low back pain that you came in with? Let me explain with an example.

Of these ladies, which do you expect to have neck pain? Of these ladies, which do you expect to see degenerated discs in the cervical spine (the neck)? For every inch the head is forward from the ideal position, the head puts an additional 10 pounds of relative weight onto the discs in the lower neck, which leads to degeneration of those discs. So if the person to the left were to walk into our office, would it not make sense that correcting the structure of her spine could help with whatever problem she happened to come in with.


These two women are roughly the same age. That tells me that poor posture IS NOT due to old age, it is due to a structural problem that has gone too long without being corrected. As you age it is your responsibility to take care of yourself and your body. Growing old is inevitable, but I think you should thrive in your golden years, not just survive.