Overcome Headaches with Chinese Medicine

by Antonia Balfour, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac. & C.H.

Approximately 70 million Americans suffer from recurring headaches each year. The debilitating pain from chronic headaches can be life altering, causing sufferers to miss work, lose sleep, and experience a diminished quality of life. Side effects from pain medication can create an additional set of problems such as stomach pain, digestive complaints, dizziness, and muscle weakness.

Chinese Medicine treats headaches holistically, bringing balance to the body and emotions without negative side effects. This is done with acupuncture treatment, dietary therapy, and herbal remedies that are specific to the individual needs of each patient. Instead of treating every person’s headache the same way, Chinese medicine addresses their “patterns of disharmony” (or areas or imbalance).

Patterns of disharmony take into account –

·      Yin & Yang –

Yin and Yang are opposites. A person’s symptoms can be looked at in terms of yin/yang parameters. For example, cold is yin and heat is yang.  Damp is yin and dry is yang. An acupuncturist’s job is to apply the theories of yin and yang to all aspects of the patient. Specifically for headaches, one would ask – are the eyes dry or watery? Is there a cold sensation in the head, or a sensation of heat with burning eyes?

·      Qi, Blood, and Body Fluids –

Qi (vital energy), blood, and body fluid are fundamental substances that sustain health. Imbalances in these three areas can cause a variety of health problems. Qi, blood, and body fluids can be weak and deficient, in which case they are unable to nourish the body and function properly. Deficient qi causes a dull headache with an empty sensation in the head along with fatigue and shortness of breath. Deficient blood and body fluids create a dull headache with dizziness and possibly blurry vision. On the other hand – qi, blood and body fluids can be excess and overflowing in which case they become stuck or stagnant. Qi and blood that are stuck can cause a sharp, fixed pain that may be severe. On the emotional side, stuck qi can cause frustration and irritability. To attain balance, these three vital substances need to be strong and healthy in their flow.

·      Channels and Collaterals –

The channels and collaterals are considered to be a series of connecting passages through which qi and blood flow. The primary channels are indicated by the lines that are shown on acupuncture charts. Ten of the 12 primary channels are named for organs they are associated with. It’s important to note that these organs in Chinese medicine are not the same as their western counterparts. The Chinese Kidney, for example, may have some of the same functions as the western Kidney, but it is a much broader concept than simply the anatomical organ. If the yin of the Kidney meridian is deficient there may be a headache with an “empty” sensation in the head. A Kidney yang deficiency creates a dull headache possibly with a cold sensation in the head. In both these cases, it’s likely that the anatomical kidney is perfectly healthy. Imbalances in the Liver meridian also cause headaches. When yang energy rises up the Liver meridian, this causes headaches at the top of the head or in the temples. Excess heat, or fire, in the Liver meridian creates a headache with a distended feeling in the head and red eyes. Chinese meridians also have emotions associated with them. The emotion of the Kidney is fear and the emotion of the Liver is anger or irritability.

This brief explanation of patterns of disharmony just touches the surface in describing the many different ways an acupuncturist analyzes imbalance. Most people have multiple patterns going on at a time, sometimes as many as eight or ten.

Treatment with Chinese medicine is customized – specifically addressing the unique needs of each patient. Its success has been recognized by the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, and in studies conducted around the world. In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers in Italy examined the effectiveness of acupuncture versus a variety of pharmacological therapies in treating migraines. Results revealed that patients given acupuncture experienced fewer migraine episodes, missed fewer days from work, and suffered no side effects compared to patients on conventional drug therapy.

Through the use of acupuncture, Chinese herbs, dietary therapy, gentle exercise, and relaxation techniques, whole health and wellness is within reach!