"... there can be many different reasons why a headache starts. The problem is, how can you make it stop?"
Headaches are among the most common disorders of the nervous system — it's been estimated that almost half of the adults in the world have had a headache at least once within the last year. (1)
But what causes a headache? A lot of different factors can lead to a headache. Stress can do it, so can sinus congestion and high blood pressure. Hormonal changes or changes in the weather, allergies or just certain foods, even overuse of medication — there can be many different reasons why a headache starts. The problem is, how can you make it stop?
Medication is very commonly prescribed to reduce the intensity of headaches, but that just offers a short-term solution, because it only alleviates the symptoms temporarily.
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine — often abbreviated as 'TCM' — approach the problem of treating headaches from a different perspective. Acupuncture and TCM can offer a safe and effective approach to relieving headaches — without the harmful side effects that medications can cause.
"The mechanisms that underly acupuncture's effectiveness in treating pain have been researched by western medicine for over sixty years."
Traditional Chinese Medicine begins with a holistic, whole-body approach to understanding health. It starts with a comprehensive diagnostic protocol, designed to identify the root causes of the issue. It evaluates the pain itself along with other factors correlated to it — times of occurrence, location in the body, and possible triggers. Issues like the constitution of the body, emotional health, excessive work may play a role. Social activities, exercise, diet, physical trauma, as well as hormonal fluctuations —all of these and more may shed light on the problem.
The main focus of acupuncture is to restore and rebalance the flow of vital energy (Qi), providing a natural path to healing. During the treatment, fine sterile needles are inserted into specific points along what are called meridian pathways. Changes may occur quickly or over a longer period of time, depending on the patient's overall constitution and health.
The mechanisms that underly acupuncture's effectiveness in treating pain have been researched by western medicine for over sixty years. While there is still much to learn, there is also much that is already understood about this. The neural pathway from an acupuncture point can be mapped to the spinal cord and from there to the deactivation of the pain centers in the brain. (2,3) Acupuncture has been demonstrated to activate a number of the body’s own opioids. In addition, a number of other biochemicals involved in pain reduction have been found to be released or regulated by acupuncture point stimulation, including GABA, adenosine and ATP. (4,5)
In my practice, I very often witness partial relief in intensity and frequency of pain just after one treatment. Overall, the long term success rate of acupuncture in treating headaches is about 80 to 90%. Occasionally, life style modifications, herbal remedies and/or supplements are needed in order to achieve desired results.
References:
1.https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders
2. Longhurst, J., Chee-Yee, S., & Li, P. (2017). Defining Acupuncture’s Place in Western Medicine. Scientia, 1–5.
3. Zhang, Z.-J., Wang, X.-M., & McAlonan, G. M. (2012). Neural Acupuncture Unit: A New Concept for Interpreting Effects and Mechanisms of Acupuncture. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2012(3), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2007.08.003
4. Harris, R. E., Zubieta, J.-K., Scott, D. J., Napadow, V., Gracely, R. H., & Clauw, D. J. (2009). Traditional Chinese acupuncture and placebo (sham) acupuncture are differentiated by their effects on μ-opioid receptors (MORs). NeuroImage, 47(3), 1077–1085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.05.083
5. Zhao, Z.-Q. (2008). Neural mechanism underlying acupuncture analgesia. Progress in Neurobiology, 85(4), 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2008.05.004