Almost everyone will experience a headache at sometime or another but when persistent or recurrent then intervention is required. Most chronic headaches have an internal and external component. An underlying internal balance is often complicated by myofascial lesions in the soft tissues of the neck and upper back. These 'knots' or 'bands' can cause pain to be referred to various areas of the head and are commonly known as 'trigger points'. Successful treatment of chronic headache usually involves both constitutional treatment and removal of as much tension and trigger point activity as possible. Other causes of headache include:
External pathogens like at the onset of flu, emotional factors, diet, overwork/stress, constitutional make-up and trauma.
The location of a headache and its characteristics give the Chinese medicine practitioner a good indication as to the internal disharmony and thus how to treat accordingly with acupuncture and herbal medicine.
Most patients will be taking some medication to ease symptoms and the hope is to reduce the need for these drugs as they can impede diagnosis and treatment. A slow withdrawal is essential to prevent rebound headaches.