Acupuncture for Headache

Headache occurs in various diseases in Western medicine, e.g. tension headache, angioneurotic headache, meningitis, headache due to hypertension, cerebral ateriosclerosis, skull trauma and sequelae of cerebral concussion.  Pain usually occurs in the forehead, the vertex, the temporal region, or even the whole head.

【Treatment】

(1) Acupuncture

Therapeutic principles: To dredge meridians and activate collaterals, and promote circulation of qi and blood, for which acupuncture is often used with the method of reinforcement and reduction for deficiency syndrome and the excess syndrome respectively.

Prescription: Local points combined with distal points:

Yangming headache, or pain in the forehead: Shangxing (GV23), Touwei (ST8), Hegu (LI4), Ashi points

Shaoyang headache, or migraine: Shuaigu (GB8), Taiyang (EX-HN5), Xiaxi (GB43), Ashi points

Taiyang headache, or occipital headache: Houding (GV19), Tianzhu (BL10), Kunlun (BL60), Ashi points  

Jueyin headache, or pain in the vertex: Baihui (GV20), Tongtian (BL7), Xingjian (LR2), Ashi points

                                              

Pain all over the head: Baihui (GV20), Yintang (EX-HN3), Taiyang (EX-HN5), Touwei (ST8), Yangbai(GB14), Hegu (LI4), Fengchi (GB20), Waiguan (TE5)

(2) Moxibustion with a Warm Needle

It is usually used to treat headache due to cold and wind.

(3) Dermal Needling

It is usually used to treat headaches due to invasion of meridians by wind and hyperactivity of liver yang.

(4) Ear Acupuncture

2~3 of occiput (AT₃), forehead (AT₁), brain (AT_3,4i) and ear-Shenmen (TF₄) are selected each time with strong stimulation. 

The duration of retention of needles depends on alleviation of  headache.  Besides, the cowherb seed embedding method is employed. For obstinate headache bloodletting is applied to the veins of the back of the ear.

【Remarks】

It is most effective for  headache with acupuncture.  Some functional headache can be cured and symptoms of organic headache can be relieved.  However, the primary disease should be dealt with, or deterioration occurs.