Naturopathy

Acupuncture for headaches

introduction

a headache have become a widespread disease in our western world. Whether acute or chronic or in the best case only in connection with the flu, headaches are excruciating and significantly reduce the quality of life of those affected. But what is an effective, gentle and long-term effective therapy?

definition

As Headache are called pain sensations in the head area. They are based on the irritation of pain-sensitive head organs. This includes the Skullcap, Meninges, Blood vessels in the brain, Cranial nerves, or supreme spinal nerves. For example, some girls only have a headache because their ponytail is too heavy or too tightly tied.

frequency

Of the Headache belongs next Back pain one of the most common health problems. Around four to five percent of the German population complain of daily, sometimes severe headaches. 70 percent have occasional headaches or chronic (recurring) headaches. dizziness is a common side effect of headaches, as well as nausea.
Around 80 percent of the 3.7 billion painkiller doses in Germany each year are taken because of headaches. Up to 8 percent of men and 14 percent of women suffer from it Migraine attacks. 20 to 30 percent suffer from frequent Tension headache. The economic damage caused by lost work is considerable.

causes

According to traditional Chinese ideas, they are chronic a headache and migraine to a congestion or blockage of the Qi in the Yang meridians of the head. The blockages and thus the pain are mostly based on an internal disturbance of the organs and meridians (e.g. "Ascending Liver Fire"), only rarely on external influences from weather factors such as wind and cold. Depending on the nature of the pain, there can be both fullness and, less often, weakness disorders. Filling problems usually predominate and are characterized by very intense headaches or migraines with a strong feeling of tension, throbbing pain and feeling "the head could burst". At Weakness disorders is the headache dull, often in conjunction with Drowsiness and other general symptoms of weakness, such as B. excessive fatigue, Feeling of exhaustion, dizziness or low blood pressure.

Symptoms

The associated symptoms can be just as diverse as the causes of headaches. The International Headache Society (IHS) distinguishes no less than 165 different types of headache. Primary headache occur as an independent disease. Secondary headache are complaints that accompany an illness, for example in Head and nerve injuries, at Infections or Metabolic problems. The most common primary headaches are:

Migraine: Usually occurs on one side, but also on both sides. The attacks can last for hours to days. They are accompanied by nausea, dizziness, visual disturbances, light, noise and smell sensitivity. Women are affected more often than men.

Tension headache: The head feels like it is in a vice. The pain is usually bilateral. The doctor speaks of a chronic tension headache if the pain occurs more than 15 days a month and has been for six months. The cause is usually tension in the neck and shoulders. Women and men are equally affected.

Cluster headache: "Cluster" is English and means “bundle” or “group”. The so-called pain occurs from the age of 30 onwards and usually on one side. The causes are still largely unknown. Men are about ten times more likely to be affected than women.

diagnosis

As mentioned, the traditional chinese medicine Headache can be traced back to a congestion or blockage of the life energy Qi in the Yang meridians of the head.
In order to correctly classify the headache and initiate appropriate therapy, the doctor also uses conventional medical diagnostic methods. He asks his patient, one Headache diary respectively. From the recordings it can be seen whether the pain occurs on certain occasions - for example during stress at work - or perhaps after enjoying chocolate, cheese or red wine.

The localization of the headache is designed for the individual Acupuncture therapy of great importance. According to the traditional concept of Chinese medicine, pain localization and radiation can be determined 4 main groups crystallize based on the affected meridians:

Pain in the course of the gallbladder meridian
Pain in the forehead and temple area with pain maxima in the range of Ma. 8 (stomach meridian, point 8)
Pain along the bladder meridian with pain maxima in the area of leaf 2 (2nd bladder meridian point)
Pain in the area of point Du 20 is assigned to the liver meridian.

The conventional medical doctor will first ask the headache patient about their medical history (anamnesis). This includes everything related to the headache, such as the length and intensity of the pain, where the pain is located or whether it is more common in certain circumstances. Current and past illnesses as well as illnesses in the family are also important for clarifying the headache. In most cases, the anamnesis and a detailed neurological examination can be used to clarify the cause of the headache and thus treat it in a targeted manner. Further examinations are rarely necessary. These include: