Avert Headaches with Traditional Chinese Medicine

52 year old Angela B. came into my office a couple of months ago, complaining of chronic headaches, something she had suffered from for the last twenty years. For the last year her headaches had become a fairly constant occurrence, sometimes even daily. Angela was desperate. The chronic headaches were hampering both her personal and professional life. She had tried every pain killer and anti-migraine drug on the market, seen medical doctors, chiropractors, naturopaths, you name it. Traditional Chinese Medicine was her last resort.

I started working with her through several approaches: acupuncture, dietary therapy and stress management coaching. Acupuncture treatment consisted of two sessions per week for at least 4 weeks. Within two months, sessions were reduced to every second week, and after about four months, Angela’s headaches became sporadic. Along with acupuncture, we looked at Angela’s diet. A number of foods were determined as possible triggers for headache symptoms, such as coffee, chocolate, alcohol, sugar, and spicy foods. In the end, Angela went from “living with” the headaches to them becoming a thing of the past.

So is TCM effective for headaches? The resounding answer is “Yes!” Acupuncture especially works very well for all types of head pain, from migraines to disease-related or post-traumatic headaches.

There are different groups of headache patterns that TCM uses to determine the mode of treatment. Qi, Blood, the liver and kidneys are usually the main areas involved in head pain - all of which affect the energy and blood circulation in the head, block meridians and impair the balance of Yin and Yang. And by looking at the nature, position and timing of the headache, the correct pattern and mode of treatment can then be accurately determined. The following are common patterns where head pain occurs:

  • Qi and Blood deficiency: stiff achy neck and shoulders, aggravation through wind or cold, dizziness accompanying pain, palpitations in the chest, lack of thirst, pale complexion, pale tongue, intermittent pain;
  • Wind Heat: “splitting” head pain with red face and eyes, feelings of thirst, red tip of the tongue, achy neck or back, aversion to warmth, constipation;
  • Liver Yang rising: since all Yang meridians meet in the head and Yang energy always travels upwards and outwards, the liver plays a role here, especially when it is aggravated or disturbed. Anger or emotional disturbance is a classic associated symptom with head pain, along with dizziness, anxiety, insomnia or restless sleep, bitter taste in the mouth, and red/yellow tongue. Pain often is felt on the top of the head and behind the eyes;
  • Blood stagnation: sharp, stabbing pain in the head that is usually fixed, chronic pain, purplish tongue;
  • Kidney deficiency: general overall weakness, generalized head pain, an “empty” feeling in the head, dull low back pain, dizziness, fatigue, red tongue, ringing in the ears and insomnia;
  • Phlegm retention: chronic consumption of fatty or sweet foods are often the culprits with this pattern. A stuffy feeling and dull or heavy pain in the head is the primary symptom, along with chest oppression, phlegm in the throat, nausea, vomiting, yellow tongue coat. Most definitely I see a lot of this type patterns in the New Year – all the holiday-rich food finally catches up!

    • I will often include adjunct natural food remedies as part of the overall headache treatment plan. Ginger is very useful for head pain – crystallized or chopped ginger taken orally in tea or combined with food work well. Western herbs such as rosemary and peppermint help keep the blood vessels dilated and assist blood flow.

    Whatever the pattern however, the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach works extremely well. It provides a safe and drug-free treatment without side effects. So if you are a headache sufferer, look no further – TCM works!

    Olena Gill is an acupuncturist at The Mind-Body Connection Centre in Errington, BC, Canada. For more information, visit http://www.themindbodyconnectioncentre.com, email mind-body@telus.net or phone 250-954-2204.