Headaches are one of the most common ailments that can destroy an otherwise beautiful day. Who hasn’t had that sometimes stabbing or pulsing, or even pulling pain which can be dull, sharp or burning .. there is an almost endless list of attributes describing your individual headache.
Headaches can be caused by many different factors. The most common ones are probably dehydration, tiredness (including tired eyes), stress, common cold and more. Some people get headaches during weather changes, others get it from certain foods. Many women suffer at specific times of their cycle.
If the headache is recurrent, it is important to exclude more serious diseases.
In Chinese medicine, as always, headache is an imbalance of sort. Therefore, it is important to get a feeling for its triggers. For example, a headache that gets worse when tired hints towards a deficiency, white one that deteriorates with stress suggests some kind of stagnation. As many different acupuncture channels lead to the head, the exact location of the headache gives clues to the cause. Is it behind the eyes, at the very top of the head, more to the sides or at the back of the head?
Many important acupuncture points for headaches are actually near the foot, pulling the energy away from the head to release the stagnation. Another example for the difference between acupuncture and dry needling 😊 – try it!