Headaches are one of the most common neurological disorders reported by doctors in North America. The variety and complexity of this condition can lead to symptoms from the very mild to the severely debilitating.
Headaches of any kind can have sever impact on our productivity and our quality of life.
Up to 59% of the Canadian adult population are reported to have suffered from some type of headache condition.
Types of Headaches: While there are many types of headaches, today we will talk about two of the most commonly reported, tension and migraine headaches.
Tension Headaches:
30% of those who suffer from headache symptoms are categorized as “tension” headaches. For the most part these symptoms are not debilitating but they can cause serious discomfort and slow down productivity in daily life.
Typical tension Headache symptoms include:
-Dull aching head pain,
-Tightness and pressure across the head,
-Tenderness along scalp , neck and shoulders
Migraine Headache:
13% of reported headache cases are of the migraine variety. This type of headaches is associated with severe and debilitating symptoms.
Typical Migraine symptoms include:
– Aura + photo sensitivity
-Vision impairment or loss
-Pin’s and needles sensation in the arms and legs
-Speech or language impairment
-Pain at the head (sharp, throbbing, pulsating)
-Sensitivity to sound and smells
-Nausea + Vomiting
-Lightheaded or faint
Acupuncture for Headaches:
For thousands of years Acupuncturist and TCM practitioners have been successfully treating headaches and their symptoms.
Acupuncture helps by regulating the flow of blood to the head through the stimulation of Acupuncture points along the body.
Points are chosen after taking a detailed health history of the patients to see if any other factors exist that are contributing to the chief complaint of Headache (ex. stress, depression, trauma etc).
By treating not only the symptoms but the root of the issue, a TCM Acupuncturist is able to bring quick long lasting relief to the patient.
Recently research has shown that TCM acupuncture to be statistically effective in the treatment and prevention of a wide range of headaches including migraines. In most cases Acupuncture worked as good or better than traditional drug therapy.
With this in mind its not surprising that many doctors and researchers are starting to recommend acupuncture as a safe, effective, drug free alternative to managing headache symptoms of all kinds.
Our resident Acupuncturist, J.P., is more than happy to answer any questions you may have regarding how Acupuncture can help treat your headaches.
CLICK HERE to book a complementary consultation today and take the first step towards living headache free.
References:
Prevalence of migraine headache in Canada
Acupuncture May Be Effective for Migraines
Migraine relief possible from acupuncture
Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial | The BMJ
Acupuncture for migraine – 2010
Acupuncture in primary headache treatment. – PubMed – NCBI
Acupuncture for Migraine Prevention. – PubMed – NCBI
Myosense Wellness Acupucture and Massage Therapy Clinic
208 Slater Street Suite 205
Ottawa, Ontario K1P5H8
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