Acupuncture to relieve Headache / Migraine

At Dan-tien acupuncture I use various forms of acupuncture to get the best results for you. In my experience, a combination of distal, and abdominal acupuncture works best to stop headaches/migraines. Headache/migraines are often preceded by ‘warning signs’ such as blurred vision, sensitivity to light or aura’s. They may also be accompanied by nausea and other digestive upsets. Acupuncture treats all these symptoms and the root cause so that headaches/migraines stop. Western medical treatment usually focuses on pain management through the use of painkilling medication.

Different types of headache/migraines

There are 5 possible categories of causes of headache/migraines in Chinese medicine, namely:

Climatic factors (e.g. Wind), as seen in a common cold. Remember the old wives tale about going out with your hair wet!!

Excessive liver yang energy, causes headaches accompanied by dizziness, bitter taste, irritability and anxiety as seen with high blood pressure (often preceded by an outburst of anger).

Deficiency of Blood and Qi, slow onset of headache often worse after exertion. Tiredness and heaviness of head and eyes.

When Blood Stagnation, results in headaches that are sharp, they are often fixed in one area. They can be a result of a head injury.

All of the above causes will be treated differently with acupuncture. It is important that the correct diagnosis is made so that the root cause of your headache/migraines can be addressed and the symptoms for the headache/migraine are all resolved. For example a person suffering with migraine due to Liver yang rising needs to have the liver yang energy subdued so that headache and other related symptoms stop.

See this link for evidence based research on the benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of Headache/Migraine

Distal and abdominal acupuncture are very potent methods of treating headaches/migraines and their symptoms. Treatment can be done during or between an attack.