How Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture can help you to say goodbye to your headache.
Headaches come in many forms, they differ in location, sensation, and intensity. Many known causes include:
- Dehydration
- Indigestion
- Muscle tension
- TMD
- Sinus irritation
- Eye problems
- And other issues
Some headaches occur spontaneously, and with no known cause (idiopathic headaches).
Alternative to painkillers
Millions of prescriptions for painkillers, NSAIDs, anti-depressants and nerve pain blockers are prescribed every year to treat headaches and migraines. Prescriptions and over the counter drugs can be extremely effective for most people. However, other less fortunate individuals struggle to find long-term solutions for their pain.
Some medications have side effects which can be harmful long-term. This is one of the main reasons my headache-suffering patients seek help with acupuncture.
TCM and Headaches
In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) headaches are seen as a representation of disharmony in the body. The strategy is to treat headaches by addressing the underlying cause as well as the symptoms.
We call this ‘Ben & Biao’: treating the roots and the branches of disharmony. In most cases the symptom (in this case headaches) is a manifestation of an underlying pattern of disharmony in the body. So, we can consider the headache as our body’s way of communicating to us that it needs attention. It may be signalling that the food we are giving it is inadequate. Or possibly it is alerting us that our posture is creating tension in our necks. Our body communicates with us all the time using sensations like pleasure and pain.
How TCM Works for your Headache
Roberta’s task as an acupuncturist is to piece together all of the body’s communication using:
- Analysis of each patient’s symptoms
- Detailed medical history
- In depth pulse analysis
- Tongue observation
- Determine the TCM pattern of disharmony
Once this has been found, Roberta will treat you using
- Gua sha
- Cupping
- Acupuncture points
- And she provides some tailored lifestyle advice
The aim is to bring the body back into a more harmonious state naturally.