The treatment of headaches in Chinese Medicine is based particularly on where on the head the headache manifests and what triggers them to come on. Isolating the cause of a headache will help to properly diagnose and treat the cause of the pain. For example, a headache can often be triggered by moods & stress, stages of the menstrual cycle, hunger, poor digestion, environmental toxicity exposure and muscle tension.
Acupuncture can help to reduce the intensity, frequency and duration of the headache symptoms while simultaneously treating the root cause of the condition. The ultimate goal of treatment is complete elimination of headache occurrences. Complete cessation of headaches usually requires multiple treatments depending on how chronic the issue is and specifics of the patient’s lifestyle.
The condition is addressed by taking a comprehensive intake of all systems in the body to create a pattern between the headache and any other associated symptoms. A seemingly unrelated symptom that you may be experiencing elsewhere can be very relevant to your Chinese Medicine treatment and diagnosis.
The treatment can have effect by doing a combination of the following:
- Improving blood flow
- Regulating hormone levels
- Regulating moods and emotional disturbances
- Reducing muscle tension in the neck, back and jaw
- Strengthening the digestive function
- Whole body detox
Additionally, acupuncture treatments create an immediate release of pain numbing endorphins which can help to stop a headache in its tracks.
