In my practice, headaches are one of the most common complaints. In traditional Western Medicine treatments involve the use of pain killers so patients can experience “an instant” relief from headaches. However, if the problem occurs quite often, the side effects of pain killers can cause a variety of unwanted health issues.
According to researchers at the Duke University Medical Center “Acupuncture is more effective than medication in reducing the severity and frequency of chronic headaches” (link to article).
In Chinese Medicine we look at headaches the same way we look at any other health problem. Basically, we evaluate signs and symptoms, look at the tongue and feel the pulse of a patient and then diagnose him/her individually. Many headaches that seem to have the same pattern would still be treated differently because of the cause. In order to treat the cause and not only the symptoms, we need to know the root of the problem and plan the treatment accordingly. The causes of headaches are relatively complex and usually patients have other unpleasant symptoms accompanying headaches.
While we would focus on headaches there are many other symptoms that will be relieved along with the main complain. Since Chinese Medicine works by balancing the body it never treats only one health problem, but involve a combination of symptoms related to one source. Internal resources of the body will get activated and heal itself by balancing the whole body.
One of my patients, a 34-year old woman was suffering from migraines for as long as she can remember. She would have to take off work for three days because the pain was unbearable and pain killers did not work well anymore. She had to stay in bed with lights off and complete silence. A month after she started receiving treatments she started having headaches less often, she started sleeping better, and her energy level improved. After three months she only had four episodes and they were not as intense as before. Previously she would have an average of one headache per week. After six months she completely stopped having headaches at all. Her mood is now better, her energy level is so great that she started exercising regularly, her concentration has increased, and her sleep is at the best she has ever been.
Another one of my patients, a dear friend of mine who is in her thirties, eats healthy, exercises, and has a positive attitude on life, initially did not come to see me to treat her headaches until she had tried everything else. She started having headaches since a major family loss so she went to her doctor and got a prescription, she tried different natural remedies from the store, but she spent six months without seeing any results and actually they were getting worse. She could not sleep because of the intensity of the headaches. At the end she was exhausted and wanted to try anything just to get her life back. She called me for advice and I told her that acupuncture could help her. After only four treatments she could not believe that her headaches completely disappeared. She was really happy about the result and wanted to get more information on acupuncture and other conditions it can treat.
Every case is different but most headaches can be treated with acupuncture, however I feel that most people are not aware about the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Just like my friend, if she had known about it sooner, she could have avoided many months of discomfort. So I encourage people to read about acupuncture and seek advice from a qualified practitioner so we can help you benefit from a natural holistic approach and get healthy faster.