Migraine Awareness Week: Try Acupuncture!

This week is Migraine Awareness Week – designed to raise public awareness of migraine as a serious health issue…. and I’d like to put my 2 pence worth in, to talk about the role of acupuncture and tui na massage in migraine treatment.

A recent article on the BBC website talks gives a personal account of one migraine sufferer’s success using acupuncture, going from attacks more than weekly, to only one in 3 months (see the article here)

To be honest, this isn’t at all surprising to me – I’ve had similar results using acupuncture and/or tui na for migraines. Chinese medicine works very well for migraines, because its adaptable, person-centered approach is able to deal with the complexities of this condition, and it can be a complicated condition with many aspects to it.

Migraines are not simply bad headaches, they are a whole different thing. Migraines can come with visual disturbances, an aversion to bright lights, nausea or vomiting, and sever pain. They can completely incapacitate you for hours or sometimes days. Sometimes, but not always, there can be food triggers. Tiredness, stress, and muscle tension in the neck and shoulders can also be factors.

Acupuncture and/or tui na massage work by regulating the whole system, reducing stress, improving energy levels, loosening tight muscles, and in clearing and regulating the Qi in the head. As always, treatment is different for each individual, depending on the exact presentation.

So, no surprise about my contribution to migraine awareness week – if you know anyone who suffers from migraines, tell them to try some Chinese treatment – it works!