Acupuncture Finds Headache Pain Medication or Pain Killer Drugs Not Effective

Tension headache that persist for weeks and present all day are very likely to be tension type headache whatever their other characteristics. Treatment is usually mild analgesic, tricyclic anti depressants or benzodiazepines.

The important thing to know is that it is poorly responsive to analgesia. Excessive use of analgesics, in particular of codeine, can worsen the headache. This is sometimes referred to as an analgesic headache.

What this means is that sometimes, the cure is worse than the disease. And sometimes, the cure is actually the disease.

Both prescription and over-the-counter drugs may be to blame for “rebound” episodes triggered by the overuse of common pain medications. This is also being referred to as rebound headaches.

As many as 25% of all headaches are actually rebound headaches caused by excessive use of medications. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine is very helpful in preventing this rebound effect.

In summary, below are the …

Key characteristics of tension headache

• It can last between 30 minutes to 7 days
• Pain is bilateral, that is on both sides of the head
• Pain is mild to moderate in severity, it can be a non-painful tightness and pressure
• Does not pulsate
• Not aggravated by exertion
• Not associated with nausea, vomiting or sensitivity to light, sound or smell
• Precipitated by overwork or emotional strain, involving tension in the muscles of the neck, shoulder and face

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Dr Pier Tsui-Po Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine Clinic
Berwick Specialist Suites,
Level 1, Suite 8, 50 Kangan Drive, Berwick 3806,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Telephone: 9796 2388