Chronic headaches can have a very negative impact on the quality of people’s lives. Painkillers might give some immediate relief but they don’t address the root problem of the headaches or prevent them from happening again.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have been used for thousand of years to treat headaches and migraines. Interested to know how Acupuncture and Chinese medicine treat headaches?
Depending on the area of the headache, it could be associated with different organs or channels.
Top of the head
- The Liver channel reaches the top of the head internally and is most frequent cause of headache there.
- A dull pain on top of the head is most often due to deficient Liver-Blood being unable to reach to the top of the head. It usually improves if the person lies down.
- A sharp pain in the area may be due to Liver-Yang rising from anger, stress or Yin Deficiency.
Sides of the head
- Sides of the head is correspondent to Gall Bladder channel.
- A headache here is mostly due to Liver-Yang rising, Liver-Fire or Liver-Wind.
- Such a headache is usually sharp and throbbing.
Temples
- Temple area is also correspondent to Gall-Bladder channel. And it is often just affects one side.
- The headache is usually due to Liver-Fire, Liver-Yang rising or Liver-Wind.
- Such a headache is usually throbbing.
Behind the eyes
- It is a frequent location for migraine
- If it is a dull pain it is usually due to Liver-Blood deficiency
- If it is a sharp pain it could be Liver-Yang rising
Forehead
- Headaches in this area are usually related to Stomach as Stomach channels runs through this area
- Dull pain indicates a Stomach deficiency
- Sharp pain indicate Stomach-Heat
- A common cause of frontal headache is due to dampness or phlegm. This type of headache commonly associated with a heavy, muzzy sensation of the head
Back of the head
- Chronic headaches in this area are usually due to a Kidney deficiency manifesting on the Bladder channel
- Acute headaches in this area are normally due to invasion of external wind or cold.
Whole head
- Chronic headache in this area are usually due to Kidney-Yin or Kidney essence deficiency.
- Acute Headaches are due to invasion of external wind
This is a general guideline in Chinese medicine. In Dun Laoghaire Acupuncture & Herbal clinic we do a detailed consultation including taking the pulse and check the tongue to find the root cause of the headache and treat it accordingly with Acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine
Case Study
A woman came in for a head massage for the frontal headache. Apart from the head massage I also put a needle on Ren 12 Zhong Wan the front Mu point of Stomach. Under the skin there is a slight knot on this point which indicates a digestive disorder. After the head massage from the conversation this lady does suffer from digestive disorders which i believe is the root cause for her chronic headache.
Please call 0851071022 to book a free consultation