Acupuncture Migraine Headaches Pain Relief

This page tells you about acupuncture and migraine headaches pain relief, the types of pain to expect, the signs and symptoms and what you can do to help yourself

Migraine is a recurring vascular throbbing headache characterised by one sided (unilateral) onset, severe pain, photophobia, autonomic disturbance during acute phase, which may last for hours or days.

It occurs more frequently in women than in men (men tends to cluster headache) and a predisposition to migraine may be inherited. This genetic predisposition is present in about 50% of patients.

Patients at any age can be affected but migraine usually begins between the ages 10 to 40 years old. The good news is that there is partial or complete remission of migraine after the age of 50 years.

Pain of a migraine headache attack

Migraine can be a primary disorder or a secondary symptom of disorders such as acute systemic or intracranial infection and many diseases of the eyes, nose, throat, teeth, ears and cervical vertebrae.

If the migraine headache is a secondary symptom caused by any of a wide variety of intracranial disorders including sinus or ear infection, brain tumours and subdural hematomas, it may be referred to as an Organic headache.

Typically pain is at the frontal or temporal area of the head (forehead and temples), on one or both sides, but can also be at the back of the head (occipital) or generalised all over. Classic migraine is unilateral (one sided).

Pain is a throbbing or aching pain, variable in severity. Onset is fairly rapid, reaching a peak in 1 to 2 hours, and can last for several hours to 1-2 days.

Nausea and vomiting are common with migraine but also occur with brain tumours and subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Migraine attacks on weekends or at the beginning of a holiday point to the involvement of psychological stress.

The acute phase of a migraine attack is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, chills, polyuria, sweating, facial oedema, irritability, and extreme fatigue.

After an attack you would often have dull pains on the head and neck and a great need for sleep.

Repeated episodes usually occur in clusters within a few days or weeks and may be followed by a relatively long remission period.

Long term use of medications that contain codeine should be avoided.

A migraine headache approaching

A minority of patients in my acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine clinic have the following signs and symptoms of an impending attack:

• preceding visual disturbances such as aura, scintillating scotomas, flashing lights or wavy lines or blind spots
• neurologic symptoms such as local weakness, sensory disturbances and other symptoms such as numbness, tingling, vertigo
• a strange taste or odour
• tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• a feeling that part of the body is distorted in size or shape.