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Headaches are a very common complaint amongst pain sufferers in today’s fast-pace society.
Nearly everyone suffers from headaches of various degrees ranging from mild to severe. Some sufferers experience extreme pain constantly every day with nothing giving them any relief. For others, headaches are an inconvenience that come and go without warning at any time. For all headache sufferers, work performance, quality of life and sleep are impacted which has an even greater follow on compound effect for headaches.
 There are many reasons why headaches occur, the most common being:
Another contributing factor is the lifestyle we adopted. Unfortunately a lot of us reach for the quick fix, being an over the counter pain relief medication (analgesics). But ironically, taking too much of these can also give rise to a headache. Another issue with analgesics is that they don’t treat the root of the problem. So you can be sure your headache will be back again sometime in the future!
Headaches are so prevalent in our society they can often be overlooked, put up with and even ignored, simply in the attempt to “get on with life”. Yet the impact they have should not be taken lightly, especially for the persistent and re-occurring types. Headaches are a major indication of an underlying imbalance in the body that requires prompt medical attention.
Acupuncture is very effective for headaches because its correct application treats the underlying problem, not just the symptom. After determining where the imbalance has occurred in the body, acupuncture works on an energetic level by utilising the system of Yin & Yang including the Five Elements. It is believed that throughout the body there is energy flowing freely. When the energy is balanced, flowing unobstructed, the body is in the state of health, yet when this energy flow has been disrupted, illness will occur. In western medical terms, the use of acupuncture for headaches can increase blood flow to the brain which can induce a natural pain-killer, endorphin, to ease the headache. Then treatment is carried out according to each individual and their condition as no one person is the same.
The types of headaches acupuncture can successfully treat are tension headaches, cluster headaches, migraines, period-related headaches, trauma caused headaches and any other idiopathic headaches.
Initially, the number of treatments depends on the duration and severity of the headache. Generally speaking, additional treatments are required the longer someone has been suffering from headaches. A general guide is around 3 to 10 treatments. In some cases, other therapies will be included such as cupping, massage and Chinese herbal medicine where required.
The most important thing to remember is that acupuncture works on the preventative level. The best place to be is always one step ahead of the headache!
By: Richard Yang
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