Migraines and Headaches
This is one of the most frequent conditions I see in clinic and with good reason – Migraines and headaches (tension, cluster and episodic) have been comprehensively treated with Acupuncture and Chinese medicine for thousands of years, so its not surprising that we have become extremely good at it!
This is rapidly becoming one of the best known conditions we treat. So much so that the Mayo clinic, Cochrane Review, and Harvard Medical all recommend Acupuncture as a highly effective treatment for Migraines, and for other headaches also.
Acupuncture has been demonstrated to reduce frequency and intensity of migraines and other headaches (such as tension and chronic type headaches), and for sufferers to require reduced dosages of medication and other interventions. Acupuncture treatment is THE most effective treatment for migraine, according to recent meta-analysis.
Migraines are often a perfect storm, of environmental, hormonal, and musculoskeletal factors.
In regard to mechanisms, Migraine is thought to begin as an electrical phenomenon in the cerebrum that then affects blood vessels, biochemistry, and causes neurogenic inflammation.
* There is now a frequent attempt by other professions, not registered as Chinese Medicine practitioners or Acupuncturists, to claim these results with ‘Dry needling/ western acupuncture’, which is a weekend course of training performing UNDER remedial massage in clinical studies, with minimal evidence of efficiency and numerous safety concerns due to minimal training – less than 8 hours hand’s on!
I’ve written detail here for your clarity: for the most effective migraine treatment and Real Acupuncture, always be sure to look for the title of “Acupuncturist” – and the training that goes with it.
Some Self care tips for Migraines:
- Lie in a quiet, dark room
- Avoid moving around too much, stress or strenuous activity
- Some people find relief ‘sleeping off’ an attack