More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles
Acupuncture and Headaches
Over 50 million people have experienced some form of headache at some point in their lives. Headaches can take up precious time during your day and leave you searching frantically for some sort of relief. Over-the-counter drugs may relieve pain for a while. Unfortunately, these medications do not get to the root of the problem and address the cause(s) of the headache. They can also cause unwanted side effects, especially if taken over long periods of time.
My own personal experience with migraine headaches as a young adult drew me to my current career as an acupuncturist. Severe, debilitating headaches would land me in the emergency room at least a few times per year. After waiting for hours in a loud, brightly lit hospital for pain medicine, I would cry to my mother that there had to be something that could make my migraines stop. For me, acupuncture was that thing. Since a series of acupuncture treatments many years ago, I can say happily that I am migraine free. For those of you out there with migraines, there is hope.
Acupuncture provides solutions for many types of headaches. Many factors could play a key role in the root cause or causes of your headaches. Some of these include body constitution, emotional health, excessive work, social and exercise activities, improper diet, physical trauma, and pregnancy. Factors such as specific times when a headache starts,how frequently they occur, where in the head they are located, what type of pain they feature, their triggers, and which remedies provide relief can also be very helpful.
With acupuncture,you can take a natural,whole-body approach to your health. Your acupuncturist can help you discover what root causes are contributing to the overall problem. This information will help them to address the underlying cause(s), not just cover the symptoms.
