Mastering My Migraines?

If you experience migraines — a phenomenon I like to call “giving birth through your head” (granted, I’ve never given birth at all) — your hope for a cure is rivaled only by your cynicism that one will never come. Today, I’m slightly less cynical, and my ongoing migraine-free streak is all thanks to Dr. Adam Harcourt, the chiropractor behind Imagine X, a “functional neurology” practice sandwiched between SOhO and Olio e Limone in downtown Santa Barbara.

When I heard that Harcourt, whose work also treats chronic pain and concussions, boasts a 100 percent success rate in eliminating those devil-spawn headaches, I was intrigued. No more migraines? Surely you jest, doc. But apparently not. In my first two appointments with Harcourt, he asked about my diet, exercise habits, and sleep patterns and assessed my motor skills. He also performed adjustments on my back and neck and showed me how to do some eye exercises, including tracking an arrangement of fixed black dots.

In outlining my “Migraine-Free Success Plan” on my last visit, Harcourt laid out a months-long plan of appointments and exercises, complete with stretching techniques and general lifestyle tips. The patients who follow through with the plan tend to fare better, he said. That sounds logical. But I’ve also been sans migraine since my last visit. The cynic in me is counting the days until my next head-wallop hits. If and when it does, it may be time for that third visit.

Imagine X is located at 1221 State Street, Suite 204. Call (805) 962-1988 or see ixneuro.com.