Excerpt from Dr. Karin Drummond's book:  
"Combat Headaches" 

HIDDEN CAUSES OF HEAD PAIN: 

POOR AIR QUALITY

AIR QUALITY CAN CAUSE headaches. Air quality is mostly a product of your environment, be it in your home or office or the outdoors. Mold, pollen, dust, pollutants, and other particles in the air can be triggers for your headaches. Some of this is out of your control, but there are things you can do that may help your headaches.

Indoor Air Quality

 Dust, pet dander, and mold can reduce the air quality in your home. No matter how thoroughly or how often you clean, you can’t eliminate everything that affects indoor air quality. Poor indoor air quality can lead to allergies, which often trigger headaches.

If you suffer from indoor allergies, think about getting better air filters for your furnace. I also advise putting air purifiers in your bedroom as well in your office. You should also clean out the air ducts in your home every year.

Using sheets and pillowcases that minimize dust mites and washing your sheets often will also help. In housekeeping, use high-quality filters in your vacuum cleaner and vacuum frequently. These steps go a long way toward improving your home’s air quality. 

Outdoor Air Pollutants

 Vehicle exhaust contains multiple pollutants that can affect your brain chemistry and oxygen levels, so vehicle exhaust can be a headache trigger. Avoid your exposure to it as much as possible. For example, if you exercise outside, don’t do it along a high-traffic road.

If you have a long commute, think about moving closer, changing jobs, or working from home more often. Not only is the air quality in traffic congestion unhealthy, but sitting for long periods of time is unhealthy too. In fact, prolonged sitting is now considered “the new smoking.” You can check out my book Top Seven Ways to Combat the Effects of Sitting to learn more.

Cigarette Smoke

Avoid cigarette smoke, and if you smoke, quit! Cigarette smoke has a plethora of headache triggers. It contains toxic chemicals and affects blood vessels, including those in the brain. In this day and age, enough evidence exists about the hazards of smoking that it should prevent you from even picking up a cigarette. Those same facts should scare you enough to quit smoking.

 There are many ways to quit smoking. There are patches, medications, and e-cigarettes. If these methods help you quit, then by all means, use them, with the understanding you are using them to help decrease your dependency on nicotine. If you are a headache sufferer, I would avoid nicotine, period. 

Check For Mold

 Have both your home and workplace checked for toxic mold. Every house has some mold in it, but if it is the toxic kind, it can cause respiratory problems and be a trigger for headaches. The spores in the mold can elicit an inflammatory response, resulting in headaches.

If you have toxic mold in your home, you must make sure it is properly, safely, and completely removed. This may involve tearing out drywall, replacing insulation, and more. For you do-it-yourselfers, this project is one that should be left to the professionals. Many companies specialize in mold removal. They have the elaborate gear to protect their workers from the mold during the removal process. As with choosing your healthcare professionals wisely, the same goes for the company you choose to check for and remove mold in your home and/or workplace. Make sure the company you choose uses products that are safe for humans. You may want to avoid the location until everything has aired out and is tested free of toxic mold. 

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

 You should have a carbon monoxide detector in your home. I have had a few patients whose headaches were caused by low doses of carbon monoxide in their home as a result of their furnace exhaust leaking.

Carbon monoxide is a toxic, invisible gas. If you breathe too much of it, your cells get deprived of oxygen, and your organs will shut down, leading to death. Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, and shortness of breath.

You can buy carbon monoxide detectors at any home improvement store. If the detector ever goes off, call 911 and open a window to let in fresh air. Your local fire department will come and test for carbon monoxide levels and identify the source.

You don't have to suffer with migraines or headaches! 

Why Wait?

to schedule with us today!

Another hidden cause of headaches: 

poor SLEEP HABITS

SLEEP DEPRIVATION CAN BE a trigger for headaches. For optimal health, make sure to get at least eight hours of sleep every night. Studies have suggested that to be healthy, people should get seven to nine hours of sleep a night.

If you get less than six hours of sleep, you are at a high risk of cancer and early death from disease. Sleep deprivation also makes you vulnerable, and if you tend to get headaches, sleep deprivation will increase your vulnerability to your headache triggers.

To learn more about how to combat Insomnia, check out our COMBAT INSOMNIA WEBPAGE

Another hidden cause is dry eyes. This can be due to a condition causing the dry eyes, or the dry eyes causing pain to radiate into your head.

Another surprising trigger of headaches is not letting yourself cry. If you hold your tears in, you are not allowing the body to purge the excess stress hormones that may be building up in times of stress.  So best to let yourself cry. To learn more watch:

To learn more about how we treat here at Drummond Chiropractic, CLICK HERE.

To go back to our home page, CLICK HERE.

Drummond Chiropractic, LLC

Migraine chiropractic Specialists
Headache chiropractic Specialists

565 N Walnut St,
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812) 336-2423