Headaches and Migraine

Headaches can be a common symptom of many conditions, and almost everyone will experience headaches at some point in their life. Usually these are not serious and will improve without any treatment. Persistent headaches however (and especially migraine or migraine type headaches) can be completely debilitating.

Tension headaches are often associated with anxiety and stress although it is not clear that anxiety and stress actually cause the headache. Symptoms include mild to moderate pain on both sides of the head, a feeling of tightening or pressing around the head and muscle tenderness around the head including the scalp, jaw and neck. These headaches are twice as common in women as men and tend to run in families. They are more common in people who are physically inactive and can sometimes be caused by poor posture.

Chronic headaches are classed as headaches occurring on 15 days or more per month. Approximately 4% of the population suffer chronic headaches. Possible causes include short-sightedness or the over use of over the counter medications. The overuse of painkillers for headaches can cause further headaches (known as withdrawal headaches or re-bound headaches). These medication overuse headaches occur in as much as 2% of the population and they are five times more likely in women than in men.

Migraine headaches affect about 15 percent of adults. They tend to run in families, and are about twice as common in women than men. Migraines also affect around four percent of children, but they are most common in adults aged between 20 and 50.

A severe migraine attack can cause a persistent throbbing or pounding pain, with sensitivity to light, sound and movement. The pain may be on just one side of the head, though there may be pressure on both. Attacks last between four and 72 hours. The sufferer may also feel nauseous, be sick, have diarrhoea, or feel exhausted.

Some migraine headaches can cause other neurological symptoms - called aura. These are usually visual disturbances that start before or accompany the headache, including flashing lights, black spots, zigzag patterns or distorted vision. For many, the symptoms are so severe that they are forced to lie down in a quiet dark room and wait until the migraine stops. It used to be thought that the aura and then headaches in migraines were caused by blood vessels at first contracting and then expanding (dilating) in the brain. However, recent research suggests that migraine symptoms are caused by changes in the activity of neurones (nerve cells in the brain), and that changes in blood vessels happen as a result of this. A chemical messenger in the brain - serotonin - is also thought to be involved in migraine.

Acupuncture can be extremely effective at combating all kinds of headaches including migraines. Next time you have a headache try massaging the tender point on your foot in the V formed by your big toe and your second toe. Press firmly and rub in a circular motion (or better still get someone else to do it). The pressure should be quite uncomfortable but you may well find the headache eases considerably after about 30 seconds. If it does keep rubbing for up to a couple of minutes and the headache may well disappear altogether.

For persistent chronic or migraine headaches, the acupuncturist will need to take a detailed case history which includes questions about all aspects of the patients life as well as many questions about the headaches themselves such as the exact nature of the pain, whereabouts the pain is, if it is better for rest or for movement, when the headache occurs, etc. From this the acupuncturist will decide what the primary cause of the headache is in terms of Chinese medicine and will tailor a specific “prescription” of acupuncture points to be used. Acupuncture can often reduce the severity and frequency of the headaches and in some cases stop the headaches altogether.

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to ask .We will be happy to answer any queries. Email us at info@woodlandsacupuncture.co.uk and we will aim to respond within 24 hours. If you live in the Manchester area, you can make an appointment for a free 15 minute chat with the acupuncturist to find out how acupuncture could help you.