Headaches? What are Doctors Missing?

Today more than ever, people hunger desperately for truth. You’re tired of hype. You want substance rather than style. It seems like the bulk of information available on headaches is half-truth, and the rest is opinion that is not backed by results. 

In this article, I will give you authentic information about the KNOWN causes of chronic headaches that you likely have never been told. You will be guided towards help, without exaggeration, sales talk, or unrealistic promises of single-solution “miracle cures.” When one discovers something important enough, the goal must be to share it with everybody that needs to know. Stunning as it might seem, most of this information you’re about to learn is NOT new—it has been published in mainstream medical journals and other science publications!  Yet this knowledge seems to be scarcely applied in conventional medical practice.
 

By the time you’re done reading, I can virtually guarantee you’ll be shaking your head, wondering why nobody has told you this information. But most importantly, you’ll be empowered with realistic hope to get help, and help yourself.

You've taken every drug on the market.  Every medical test comes up negative; but you're still crippled by severe pounding headaches that strike with a vengeance, and squeeze you head like it's in a vice.  You close yourself off from the world, retreating to a dark corner, robbed of precious time with your friends and family when the migraine "monster" rears its ugly head. Every day is filled with uncertainty -- your life spiraling downhill in misery, as you wonder, will these headaches ever go away? You swallow pills every day, worried about how the side effects of the drugs are wreaking havoc on your liver, kidneys and stomach. 

But what do you do? What choice do you have? With estimates of 45 million sufferers in the U.S., chronic headaches are one of the top reasons for visits to the doctor. Even so, it just doesn't seem like headaches are a major priority for the medical community. Migraines are a serious and underestimated health problem. They are not only disabling; they can be life threatening. 

The National Migraine Awareness group, MAGNUM, reports that more people died in 2003 from migraine related strokes than were murdered with handguns! A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that frequent migraines are actually associated with an increased likelihood of BRAIN DAMAGE. It is uncertain at this point whether or not the lesions result in other health problems. 

The American Academy of Pain Medicine has reported that 150 million workdays per year are lost due to headaches.  Migraines are even common among children, which can lead to dire consequences. According to Dr. Richard Lipton, MD in the Journal of the American Association for the Study of Headache, “A history of migraine may set children up for a lifetime of underachievement.” The doctor also reported in USA Today, “Virtually all medications to treat headache can become a cause of headache if overused.” The National Headache Foundation calls this the "rebound effect." Your body actually produces more headaches so you’ll give it more drugs. Yet people keep praying for miracle drugs, and the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry capitalizes on that huge demand. 

Do any of their drugs ever address the physical causes of headaches? Or do they merely temporarily suppress symptoms and keep you dependent on buying them indefinitely? Why don't most doctors offer preventative, corrective, and drug-free treatments? 

With profits from the drug-based approach to merely maintaining and managing headaches sky-high, it's no wonder little attention is put towards corrective natural treatment. Fortunately, there has been breakthrough research which reveals one of the very common physical causes of headaches... along with effective DRUGLESS treatment too. Is it possible that the average doctor is simply unaware of the technologies that are bringing blessed relief to chronic headache sufferers?      
 

It is NOT Normal to Have Frequent Headaches! Nothing in life seems to be right when your head hurts. With over 8 million doctor visits per year, headaches are one of the most common medical complaints Americans have. It is estimated that more than 45 million Americans deal with chronic headaches. Tens of billions of dollars go towards treatment each year. A fortune is lost due to absenteeism from the workplace as well. This is all despite modern science and technology, including typical medical evaluation that consists of physical examinations, blood tests, MRI, CT-scans, and neurological tests.    
 

What is the conventional medical treatment for headaches?
 

The heart of the matter is the mere concept of treating the headaches rather than treating the PERSON who suffers them. It stands to reason that when the underlying cause of the symptoms is addressed… the problem is truly handled. But this is definitely not how conventional medicine deals with chronic headaches. Doctors prescribe headache medicine. Case closed. That’s it.

It’s one thing to take a pain pill for a headache that you suffer once in a while. It’s another to be taking daily headache medicine, which under no circumstances is addressing the CAUSES of your problem. Chronic headaches are an extremely common SYMPTOM of MANY different underlying problems. The notion that any ONE generic “magic bullet” pill or treatment could be effective is preposterous. There is NO “Magic Bullet!”   
 

The Internet and other media are flooded by products (and services) with their slick advertising designed to get you frothing at the mouth to buy their “miracle cure.” The most notorious for this is, of course, the pharmaceutical industry; it profits in the obscene billions by MAINTAINING and managing chronic headaches indefinitely—never intending to treat their causes.  

It is without conscience or basic human decency that pharmaceutical companies push drugs that don’t target the real causes of your headaches. Chemical medicine that temporarily undermines your ability to sense your headache pain… only keeps you coming back for more. The expression, “If you’re a hammer… everything looks like a nail” definitely applies. The hammer and nail, one-size-fits-all approach to headaches (that ignores the CAUSES of your pain) is only preying on your misfortune—by luring you into an abyss of dependency on their product to keep feeling okay.  
 

Although significantly safer and cheaper, the “natural cures” industry can be guilty of the “magic bullet” concept too. It would be a mistake to believe there is ONE herb, nutrient, or treatment procedure that will be everybody’s knight in shining armor. Every single person who suffers chronic headaches can have a completely different set of circumstances and causes—requiring tailor-made, specific treatment approaches.       
 

But what exactly IS a headache? Does your brain actually hurt?    
 

No… your brain itself does not feel the pain, nor does your skull. Headache pain is associated with the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles of your head and neck, as well as the membrane that covers your brain and spinal cord—the Meninges. In other words, headache pain typically comes from the tissues in between your skull and your scalp, and its neighboring structures—the neck (and sometimes the jaw). The actual “ache” of a headache is coming from nerves. Disrupted muscle contraction and subsequent interference with blood flow are factors, but ultimately it is the nerve endings that send out the pain signals.

Has anybody actually discussed possible causes of your headaches? How deep have doctors dug down deep to figure it out? You might be surprised to know that they CAN… if they want to. Tons of medical research has been done, which has found the various known causes of headaches… it just not used!

Has it been assumed that it’s just a normal part of life… caused by stress, foods, alcohol, caffeine withdrawal, etc? People who are unable to produce results tend to be rather creative when it comes to excuses. There are indeed MANY causes of chronic headaches for which, with some effort, knowledge, patience, and persistence can be detected and addressed. 

Is it possible that these cause factors never even enter the mind of most doctors? Is it laziness or apathy? Or could it be that the headache medication industry would crumble if everyone knew the truth?

What's in a Name? Migraines are not simply bad headaches. They are usually somewhat debilitating; the person cannot function during an attack, and even a semi-bright light will be excruciating. True migraine sufferers typically need to shut themselves in a dark room. Odds are that if you have a bad headache, but you can still drive, work, or perform other normal tasks—it’s technically not a migraine. Cluster headaches feel like a hot poker is going through your brain and eye socket… occurring in clusters or repeated episodes, so painful that all one can do is stumble around the room in agony. Yes, tension headaches feel more like symmetrical pressure around the head, like your head is being squeezed in a vice. But is it really of any benefit to give your type of headache a fancy name or classification—if it’s going to be treated the exact same way anyway—more drugs to suppress the symptom?  

My Doctor Says, “It’s Just Stress” If this were really true, then wouldn’t everybody who has stress in their life experience chronic headaches? Who doesn’t have stress? “Stress” as a diagnosis is as lazy a cop-out as blaming age (don’t get me started there!). Stress can indeed be a factor—but it’s not a direct cause.  You must already have something else wrong, which is aggravated by stress.

There are approximately 200 different medically classified types of headaches. Considering this, it is mind-boggling how the treatment of headaches can be done in such a broad or generic manner. Headaches get broken down into two groups: primary and secondary. Of the 200 or so headache types, there are a few dozen recognized primary headaches, and the rest are considered secondary. 

According to the classification, PRIMARY headaches are ones that are caused DIRECTLY in the HEAD, as opposed to somewhere else in the body. Some examples of primary headaches include:  

Migraines… Tension…Cluster…Trigeminal Neuralgia (considered to be perhaps the worst pain a person can experience)…Headaches from exertion, including exercise, sports, sexual activity

WARNING: Your Chronic Headaches May be Caused by Problems Somewhere Else in Your Body! 

SECONDARY headaches are given their names based on whatever problem elsewhere in the body causes the headaches symptom.  Here are a few examples:  

Intracranial hematoma is from head or neck trauma… 

Cerebrospinal fluid leak—a well-documented cause of headache due to accidental damage during spinal procedures like surgery, steroid or other injections, myelogram, or badly performed physical treatment    

Stroke (transient ischemic attack, TIA), and brain hemorrhage… 

Aneurysm… High blood pressure (hypertension)… 

Malformed blood vessels, or inflamed arteries    

Medication overuse or side effects… 

Substance withdrawal…Kidney problems… Psychiatric disorders… Thyroid dysfunction… TMJ (jaw problems) ... Infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic).   

Quite frankly, I find these medical classifications to be little more than a formality, and mostly just meaningless words. If the MAJORITY of headaches are the result of problems elsewhere in the body, how can the “standard” symptom-killing, chemical treatment approach be medically justified?  

Do you really think much effort is being put into figuring out the secondary causes of chronic headaches beyond basic medical history and head examination, routine blood tests, and MRI and CT-scans? 

Could it be that the sales of headache medications (which are needed as long as the headaches return) is the real justification for the “standard” approach?     
 

Overuse of headache medicine:  Your body’s pain regulation mechanisms can be thrown off by excessive use of headache medicine.  Your body can even produce a headache to “trick” you into giving it more medicine.  These rebound headaches are a form of chemical addiction.
 

Jaw/TMJ Problems: Dysfunction of your temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) can contribute to your headaches. Keep in mind that the TMJ is a JOINT—not a tooth. The mechanics of this joint must be addressed in the context of its surroundings, which includes the upper neck and its soft tissue connections. Structural causes, such as neck or TMJ dysfunction get little media and medical attention beyond drugs, steroid injections, and surgery.
 

Hunger: People often blame headaches on stress. Sometimes the stress is lack of glucose—the sugar your brain needs from food. Make sure you eat at least every 4-6 hours. If you skip breakfast… don’t!

Foods with chemical additives: the list is exhaustive. Eat the best quality, pure, whole foods you can. Avoid foods with nitrates or MSG, for example.
 

Caffeine Addiction/Withdrawal: Some headache medication contains caffeine, which reduces blood flow to the brain. For some headache sufferers, who have too much blood flow, this can be effective. But what happens if you are accustomed to a jolt of caffeine from coffee, but you stop… you can cause a terrible headache due to increased blood flow to your brain. Keep in mind that lack of caffeine is NOT the cause of your headaches, so taking caffeine-laden medicine does NOT address the underlying causes!
 

Allergy/Chemical Sensitivities: perfumes, scented candles, and other artificial scents can trigger headaches. Treatment that helps desensitize you to chemicals, in addition to avoiding them, when possible, can make a difference. Low magnesium diet: Migraine sufferers may be low in magnesium.  But reaching for supplement pills is not your best bet. Go for magnesium-rich foods such as dark greens, fish, seeds, and nuts.
 

Dehydration: Many people don’t drink enough plain water. When you’re dehydrated, your blood is thicker, which decreases oxygen to the brain, which can trigger migraines (by raising serotonin production).
 

Sleep Apnea and Snoring: Morning headaches could be a sign that you stop breathing at times throughout your sleep. If you’re not getting enough oxygen—it could be a factor in your headaches. Headache medicine can cause sleep disturbances, which in turn can cause headaches!
 

Eye Strain: Headaches may result from muscles and blood vessels involved.
 

Fluorescent lights can trigger migraines and other types of headaches.
 

Heavy Metal Toxicity: Aluminum is just one of many common metals that can get into your system and cause headaches. Inability to excrete metals can be the result of chronic infection.
 

Oral contraceptives can cause migraines and other side effects.
 

Artificial sweeteners: Aspartame and others can trigger headaches in some people. They are toxic, and quite frankly shouldn't be consumed by anybody!
 

Wine: Red wine especially, has compounds in it that trigger headaches or migraines. Chemicals called sulfites and nitrites may be a big factor.
 

Wheat and gluten sensitivity can be a cause of headaches, as well as various health problems.  
 

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): These are chemicals found more so in indoor environments, and can be a significant cause, or contributing factor to chronic headaches. VOCs are found in tap water, deodorants, paint, cleaning fluids, plastics, new carpet, air fresheners, dry cleaning chemicals, building materials, clothing, scented products, and many other sources.
 

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) can be a factor in chronic headaches. All electrically active devices produce EMF. Some people are very sensitive to toxic electric fields. Cell phones, microwaves, computers, wireless devices can all put out harmful electromagnetic fields. The billions of dollars generated in the sales and usage of these devices will trump any serious investigation into their harmful effects. I personally do not use laptop computers, “smart phones,” or even cordless phones in my home.
 

Constipation can be a factor in headaches. But remember that it too, is a symptom of multiple possible causes.

Hypothyroidism (low thyroid gland function) can play a role in chronic headaches. Be careful—the standard medical approach to hypothyroidism is the same as it is for headaches: more drugs. The CAUSES of decreased thyroid function, such as fluoride in water, chronic infection, and chemical toxicity appear to be rarely addressed. One might take both thyroid and headache medicine, even though the causes for both symptoms might be from a chronic fungal, bacterial, viral, or chemical overload.
 

Low Blood Sugar (hypoglycemia) can cause headaches, including migraines.
 

Sinus Headaches? True sinus headache is actually quite rare. Apparently, manufacturers and marketers of sinus medication do not want you to know this. It is medical fact that chronic sinusitis rarely is a direct cause of headache. It is more likely the result of muscle tension that happens to occur at the same time. You should also know that the true cause of most chronic sinusitis is FUNGAL, not bacterial (Proven by a Mayo Clinic study!). One should consider treatment that addresses both the chronic fungal infection, as well as the muscle tension aspect.   

The Hidden Cause of Headaches You Have NOT Been Told About:      

 

Structural/Mechanical problems in the neck: Numerous physical causes of neck problems exist. Bad postural habits from excessive sitting at computers, texting, reading, and writing are significant daily causes of chronic headaches. Accidents and injuries, such as whiplash, falls and other trauma are additional contributors. For 30 years, I have successfully treated headache sufferers whose problems were in their upper neck (Atlas Orthogonal procedure). The proper treatment of headaches depends on diagnosing what’s causing them. If your headaches are caused by mechanical problems in the upper neck; help could be on the way!  
 

MRI and CT scans of the head rarely reveal anything causing headaches. World-renowned medical researcher, Nikolai Bogduk, MD has said: “People in control of the headache field have not, cannot, or will not recognize that the neck-based, or cervicogenic explanation is best. Dr. Bogduk is not alone. In 1995 a medical team at Syracuse University established scientific anatomical proof that damage to structures in the neck cause nerves to send pain signals to the brain, affecting cranial nerves. Dr. Peter Rothbart, MD, founder of the North American Cervicogenic Headache Society proclaimed the Syracuse results a minor miracle:

“Some brilliant people have put their hearts, souls, and minds to this headache problem and haven’t come up with anything. All we’ve been able to do is treat people with an array of medicines, one after another, and hope the side effects won’t be too bad… We couldn’t believe it at first. We’ve been able to put together a scientific explanation of how neck structure causes headaches — not all headaches, but a significant number of them.”   
 

Further proof came from scientists at the University of Maryland, who discovered a physical connection between muscles, nerves and headaches — a previously unknown muscular connection between the base of the skull and the first bone of the neck, called the Atlas Vertebra.  The National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed this remarkable discovery with digitized “virtual human” dissection. For many decades, chiropractors who specialize in the upper neck have had a drug-free, non-surgical, corrective procedure. This research discovery merely confirmed what was already known! But with our nation’s focus on pharmaceutical-based treatments, our knowledge has largely fallen on deaf ears. 

I've been an upper cervical doctor, licensed by the Virginia Board of Medicine since 1993. I have a passion for helping migraine sufferers. I am board certified in a procedure called Atlas Orthogonal (AO). Its precise, geometry-based analysis reveals structural and mechanical imbalances of the upper neck. It is performed utilizing a specialized instrument that is mathematically calibrated to deliver a safe, painless, split-second sound vibration to the upper neck. This repositions the bones to decreases compression on nerves and arteries without surgery.  
 

Headache medicine basically blocks pain signals, but it doesn’t treat the structural neuro-vascular (nerve and artery) imbalance — that requires delicate, precision physical correction.  I’m very proud to be equipped to help supposedly "hopeless" cases, ending people’s dependence on headache medication. Atlas Orthogonal (AO) is one of several drugless treatments that I use to treat patients with chronic headaches and other neck-related conditions. 

Encephalitis (pronounced en-sef-uh-ly-tis) is swelling (inflammation) of the brain. The diagnostic term is conventionally reserved only for severe cases of chronic headache that are confirmed by standard tests, including: MRI and CT-scan of the brain, evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) through lumbar spinal tap, virus DNA tests and other blood work, brain biopsy, and electroencephalogram (EEG). The problem is that not only are these tests not commonly performed on patients, nor do they often show positive findings.  
 

So what gives? A chronic headache sufferer MUST have something that is affecting the nerves, meninges, muscles, and blood vessels. In my experience, the most overlooked, ignored, and under-diagnosed cause factors of chronic headaches is mild encephalitis due to chronic infection. Despite a wealth of published medical research that implicates various viruses, bacteria, and other parasites… all known causes of chronic headaches, seem to rarely be addressed.  
 

Why? Could it be that with billions of dollars spent annually on MANAGEMENT of headaches with drugs to mask this symptom of other underlying problems—there is little financial incentive for cures? There is little disputing in medical circles that such swelling would affect the nerves and other structures. Nevertheless, the term, encephalitis is restricted to extreme and blatantly detectable cases of headache during acute infection. Many sufferers of common colds, sinus infection, flu, and a long list of other viruses can attest to experiencing headaches as one of several symptoms of illness.
 

But what happens when the illness seems to be gone? Can the headaches persist? Mountains of published medical research says unequivocally, YES. How this is addressed in clinical practice is another story. 

Respected medical and government health institutions suggest that most people who have encephalitis have no symptoms, or at least relatively a few mild ones. It is said that infectious causes of encephalitis cannot be determined in the majority of cases! I find this to be odd. How do they know this? How often are asymptomatic people tested for encephalitis? On the other hand, it is quite easy to find people who have some of these “mild” symptoms of encephalitis including headaches, joint or muscle aches, fatigue, confusion, visual disturbances, and others. These are extremely common symptoms that lots of people suffer throughout life, yet no tissue damage or physical evidence is readily found.
 

The fact is that many symptoms of illness and injury are due to causes that are sub-clinical.  
 

What does this mean? A subclinical infection is considered to be one that does not cause symptoms or signs of its presence. What this translates to in everyday life is that people have all kinds of common symptoms for which no cause is ever ascertained. I am certain that a tremendous number of headache sufferers are living lives of misery because of subclinical encephalitis. The standard tests neither reveal blatant encephalitis, nor do they find infection. Yet the headaches persist. It appears that mainstream medicine’s alternative to effective and extensive testing for infectious causes is simply to do nothing… and just prescribe drugs. So much for modern technology!  
 

Your Immune System Holds the Cure. If your chronic headaches are indeed caused by undetected encephalitis due to chronic infection, it is up to your IMMUNE SYSTEM to solve the problem. You will not and cannot be given medication under most circumstances that addresses causes of encephalitis.
 

Why? There is a normal mechanism of the human body called the Blood-Brain-Barrier.  This is a filtration system of your blood vessels which serves to keep foreign substances out of your brain. The blood-brain-barrier prevents many DRUGS, such as antibiotics from getting in there. Infection (at least if it is bacterial in origin) may be killed off by drugs in the BODY… but it can linger in the brain—undetected, or even considered in the first place! If you can’t kill a bacterial infection in the brain with antibiotics, your immune system—which is highly equipped to accomplish the task, must be strong enough to do the job.  
 

But aren’t many people living life with weakened immune systems? The answer is a resounding YES.  And there are countless parasites, chemicals, and other toxic factors that can impair our immune system’s function. But it gets worse:
 

Many FDA-approved prescription and over-the-counter medications have been documented to DECREASE immune system function—your natural system of defense against infection from bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other parasitic life! Nobody’s advertising that, are they? Here are some examples:

Steroids: ALL steroids suppress the immune system. The “preventative” combination asthma inhalers kids and adults are given (not the rescue inhalers) actually REDUCE their capacity to fight infection!
 

Acetaminophen: This drug can interfere with liver function. Reduced liver function decreases removal of toxins caused by infection.
 

Heartburn, GERD, Reflux Drugs: These medications such as Prevacid, Nexium, and Prilosec are designed to block stomach acid secretion. But they also block the immune system, which can increase risk of infections such as pneumonia!
 

Antidepressants: Drugs such as Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft are taken with reckless abandon in America. But did you know that Georgetown University Medical Center’s research that revealed that these drugs can impair the immune system, causing autoimmune disease—and your body attacks itself?
 

Opioids: How about some codeine, oxycodone, fentanyl, or morphine to suppress your immune system? Well they certainly do. Remember the “secondary” headaches I mentioned earlier? These are headaches classified to be the result of an illness elsewhere in the body. Well it turns out that there’s also classification of encephalitis called… Secondary or Post-Infectious Encephalitis!

Various medical sources describe it as a “faulty” immune system response to infection in the body. Personally, I don’t like the implication of the term “faulty” response—it sounds like another phony baloney excuse for ignoring the causes of medical problems. In my opinion, it’s an expected-but-unfortunate response that needs help.
 

What’s the difference between secondary headache and secondary encephalitis? Perhaps just the spelling! Consider that primary encephalitis is defined as direct infection of the brain by a virus or other organism. It can be the result of a recent illness, or an old one that’s reactivating.  One can get an intestinal parasite through food that migrates to the brain, causing inflammation. Any way you slice it, there’s inflammation caused by MICROORGANISMS. And how will it be medically treated? 

Painkillers. That’s it.

Common Causes of Encephalitis Have Been Documented in Science Journals!
 

Herpes Viruses: There are many types of Herpes viruses, and they are not all sexually transmitted.  The Varicella zoster virus, which causes both chicken pox and shingles, is in the Herpes family.  There are several others, including cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus.  Infectious mononucleosis has been associated with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), but it can have much farther-reaching consequences.  These Herpes family viruses are notorious for going into hiding—remaining in the body long after the acute illness has faded away.  Thousands of people are hospitalized each year for Herpes-related encephalitis.  
 

How many more people could be suffering from subclinical effects? Authorities suggest that most adults have viruses such as cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr in their bodies. But there are no drugs to kill them, so… oh well, good luck! These microbes have been implicated by scientists as causes of daily chronic headaches that are unresponsive to conventional treatment approaches.
 

There’s even a new “diagnosis” called New Daily Persistent Headache (NDPH). It’s associated with viruses, and usually the patient can recall the day their headaches started—many correlating them with an infection or flu-like condition. But guess what… the NDPH is considered the LEAST responsive to treatment! Yippee… we’ve got a new classification for headaches, and a “glowing report” of hopelessness! I thought it was a joke the first time I heard about this meaningless “diagnosis.” Forgive my sarcasm, but how many more chronic headache sufferers might be suffering the effects of these viruses that are “flying below the radar” of conventional medical diagnosis? For 30 years, my practice has been flooded with patients who tested negative to everything. Their subclinical conditions required serious detective work.
 

These viruses are known to "rear their ugly heads” when other infection further impairs one’s immune system. Conditions such as Lyme disease, as well as AIDS are prime examples.
 

Arborviruses: These are viruses that are spread by mosquitoes and ticks. They are usually named for the region where they were first discovered, such as the case with the West Nile virus. It is thought to have originated in Africa, but was discovered in New York in 1999, and is known to be present in most of the United States.
 

Enteroviruses: These are encephalitis-causing viruses that are spread through food, water, and through the air by sneezing and coughing. Coxsackie virus is a very common enterovirus. Common cold, flu and other chest or throat viruses, as well as stomach viruses (Noroviruses, for example) can cause encephalitis.
 

Toxoplasmosis: Cats transmit a parasite known as Toxoplasma. It is a protozoan parasite (single-celled animal-like organism), that can infect any warm-blooded animal. It is one of the most common parasites in the world! Toxoplasma reproduces in cats, and is found in their feces. However, Toxoplasma can be easily spread to humans through food and water. If cats defecate in your garden, you can pick up this parasite. I have read estimates citing as much as one quarter of the American population is exposed to Toxoplasma. It is very dangerous for a pregnant woman to be exposed to it. The key here is that it is another one of those infections that authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control suggest, do not produce symptoms, and are not a threat, unless one’s immune system is compromised. In a relatively unhealthy America… isn’t that a LOT of people? Toxoplasma can indeed cause encephalitis.
 

Macro-Parasites: Worms: Yes, there are even parasitic worms that can cause encephalitis. The Raccoon roundworm, Baylisacaris procyonisis an example. People can easily come in contact with it from soil, wood chips, and tree bark. This parasite apparently doesn’t harm the raccoons, but it can impair the human nervous system, and certainly cause encephalitis headaches. Raccoon danger isn’t only about rabies!

Fungus: Many types of molds and mildew can cause encephalitis too. Fungal causes of illness are not taken seriously. Safe and effective medications have not been developed (risks of liver damage and death are significant)… so it is largely ignored. If you live in a moldy house—it could be causing your headaches, asthma, and other illnesses. Fungal toxins can cause cancer!  
 

A Reasonable Assumption
 

When a patient enters my clinic, I assume that their chronic headaches may be at least in part, caused by past or currently subclinical encephalitis caused by infection, chemical toxicity, structural problems, and other factors mentioned earlier. I’m also going to suggest asking previous doctors about the nature of laboratory diagnosis already performed. Did they “rule out” infection? Did they tell you that most cases don’t show physical evidence? And if they do happen to suspect a viral cause, what will they recommend—since drugs are an unlikely option?
 

“Nobody Told Me”
 

How would you feel if you were having headaches from caffeine or nicotine withdrawal… and the doctor merely prescribed headache medicine? Coffee contains between 125-250 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Colas have about 35. Effects of caffeine can be felt with less than 20 milligrams, and addiction can take place in just a week of consumption! Do you think feeding your addiction would be a sensible, ethical, and humane approach? How about if you actually had bleeding in your brain, but you were simply diagnosed with “migraine” and given Imitrex or some other generic migraine medicine? 

What if your chronic headaches were caused by a subtle, undetected imbalance of your upper neck… but you’ve merely been given various prescription headache medicines as treatment? Would it make you angry if you were misdiagnosed and treated accordingly for years?

Over a 20-year period, I have personally attended to hundreds of cases of chronic headache, where a previously undiagnosed neck problem was finally found and subsequently corrected. These sufferers of cervicogenic (neck caused) headache needed specific, non-surgical structural correction.  No medicine, exercise, herb, diet, massage, or any other treatment could have enabled them to end their headaches. When the true cause was corrected—the headaches went away naturally. An entire article dedicated to this aspect of headaches is available on this website.

What if your headaches were caused by a subtle, undetected chronic infection—one that doctors insisted they “ruled out” because they relied on a blood test proven by scientific studies to be wrong 75% of the time?

Do you think you’d be upset? This is the frightening reality when it comes to Lyme disease. Would you appreciate being prescribed migraine medicine? Would you consider it to be safe, ethical, and effective treatment? If you had infectious mononucleosis (“mono”) in your youth, and the causative Epstein-Barr virus has stayed in your body (it can do so for decades after your recovery), causing you headaches… do you think taking daily headache painkillers would be intelligent and appropriate treatment? Would it bother you that measures to boost your immune system could be effective… but you were never told about them?
 

How about if your headaches were caused by ongoing exposure to molds, industrial chemicals, and chemical additives? Would headache symptom-masking prescriptions be the logical treatment?  Would it be disturbing to know that you could have managed that moisture and mold problem in your house years ago, and have treatment to reduce your sensitivity and boost your immune system?
 

What Can Be Done?
 

I suppose that if global excellence existed in the treatment of the causes of headaches, there wouldn’t be so much demand for me to write about it. Nevertheless, I expect most readers of this article will do absolutely nothing. They’ll keep doing the same thing they’ve always done—take headache medicine. They’re not willing to think out of the box. Or they’ll ask their current or previous doctors (you know, the ones who never mentioned any of this) his or her opinions, which I can reliably predict from experience to be negative. I say none of this with any arrogance or smug attitude. My wife, Sheila suffered headaches from bacterial and viral encephalitis, for which no explanation or acceptable treatment could be rendered by conventional medicine. 

I didn’t always know the information I’m sharing with you right now. I didn’t always know what to do to help my patient—the way I know how to today. But I can honestly say that I have always pursued and utilized techniques that get to the root causes of my patients’ symptoms. Since 1993, I helped countless chronic headache sufferers exclusively through specialized correction of structural/mechanical problems in the upper neck (Atlas Orthogonal procedure).
 

Then I learned specialized ear acupuncture—and helped even more. Soon after, I studied how to improve immune system function through homeopathic support for the immune system to overcome chronic infection, which can cause encephalitis (as my wife experienced). With this, I became able to address the major underlying causes of headaches for more and more people. It is my pride and joy to do so.  
 

I make no medical claims of curing disease, nor do I offer promises or guarantees. And yes, it is often the case that I cannot prove subclinical encephalitis or its causes. What I can do is implement an intensive, thoughtful, comprehensive, and natural, whole-body, wellness-based approach that works. Not because a medical journal or a university says so… but because my patients say so.
 

I don’t write my articles, nor do I run my practice for the skeptics, the know-it-alls, or the “mainstream” followers, who aren’t willing to try natural and safe approaches—treatment methods that address one’s immune system and the various cause factors. Those who are expecting a “get-well-quickly” pill or shot should never pursue my care; they are a perfect fit for mainstream medicine, as they are content with the popular approach. I haven’t written this article for those who are satisfied with taking drugs for the rest of their lives. And I humbly and politely ask those who feel this way—and those who are uncomfortable with drugless methods to please seek other doctors. I exist to help those who want help, and appreciate that I take on cases of chronic headaches for which no previous treatment could help.  
 

There are always going to be naysayers, who don’t even try things—because they don’t know… REALLY know… it can be done. For more than 100 years nobody could run a mile in less than four minutes. It wasn’t considered possible, and nobody “really knew” that it was possible.  But it WAS possible. A man named Roger Bannister did it in 1954. What happened? Lots of other people immediately did it too! They did it because they then knew it COULD be done.  
 

I may not be able to prove the mechanism by which my patients have recovered from the misery of chronic headaches and other symptoms for which they were told they “had to live with.” But when they refer their friends, family, and co-workers… those people already know it CAN be done.   
 

Now that you’ve learned about the spectacular variety of causes of chronic headaches, do you see the tragedy of the headache treatment industry? I don’t know how much time and money you have wasted, or how much suffering you’ve endured. But if you’re like most headache sufferers, it’s not pretty. And if you’ve read this far, it’s likely that you or somebody you care about has already lost precious time in your life due to chronic headaches. Time is something nobody can get back. Your life is not a dress rehearsal… it is show time. It would be a shame to go through life suffering headaches, when others have found a solution.