Resolving migraines with Acupuncture
Migraines are chronic headaches that cause patients significant physical and emotional damage over the course of hours or possibly days. Those who have experienced migraines know that their effects can be debilitating.
The good news?
Migraines are treatable using Chinese medicine.
Each Patient is Unique
Chinese medicine start with a simple premise — no two patients are the same. While this may seem like a fundamental truth, in contrast, Western medicine might provide drastically dissimilar patients with identical diagnosis and treatment.
Chinese medicine differentiates patients based on a complicated blend of signs and symptoms. These might include lifestyle, genetics, and nutrition as well as physical and emotional health factors.
As a practitioner of Chinese medicine, I evaluate the overall condition of each patient before diagnosis. After all, each patient is different. Why shouldn’t the diagnoses vary as well?
Life Energy or Qi
Although there may be dissimilarities between Eastern and Western medicine philosophy, I strive to blend Chinese medicine principles with the useful components of Western medicine whenever possible. In fact, I work hard to effectively translate the concepts of Chinese medicine into the vocabulary understandable to Western medicine.
Why?
Simple.
Because it helps my patients.
I believe that a blend of Eastern and Western medicines provide my patients with an easily understandable, readily applicable understanding of a diagnosis.
Yet each diagnosis begins with an understanding of life energy or, according to Chinese medicine, qi.
Within the theory of acupuncture, the body has a life energy, or qi, that flows to all the organs and body tissue. Qi includes the energy derived from food intake and from breath. Qi also includes a life energy that is passed down from one’s parents.
Qi flows through twelve specific channels within the body, all associated with different organs. These channels are connected in a circuit that allows the qi to flow freely between the organs and tissue.
When the body has adequate qi that flows freely in a circuit, a person is healthy. Yet at times, qi may become blocked. This can be due to physical or emotional factors. When the qi becomes blocked, might have an insufficient or excessive flow within the body, leading to pain or other symptoms of ill health.
Such is the case with migraines.
A migraine sufferer likely has a relative imbalance of qi within the body. While the imbalance may vary from patient to patient, the discrepancy manifests as intense head pain or migraines.
Diagnose the Individual, Not the Disease
There are over 20 causes of migraines within Chinese medicine. What’s more, these causes may present themselves in combination. In simple terms, the causes are related to physical or emotional imbalances.
· Physical trauma
· Whiplash
· Hormone imbalances
· Nutritional deficiencies
· Emotional turmoil (ie: stress, anger, depression)
· High blood pressure
To resolve the imbalance of energy that causes migraines, I use acupuncture to literally drain the excessive energy from the head. I treat the migraine by focusing the acupuncture on opposite ends of the affected channel as well as complimentary channels, depending on the combination of causes. I nourish deficiencies with nutrition and herbs.
Depending on the patient, the effect can be immediate. However, some patients may require weekly treatments for up to three months to resolve the migraine. The duration of treatment varies depending on the patient. Yet, overall, the frequency and intensity of headaches decreases.
And, by balancing the qi flow, patients improve sleep cycles, decrease stress, and aid digestion. Many women report improvements in menstrual irregularities.
