Acupuncture is most commonly sought by individuals suffering from headaches that do not respond well to traditional pain medication, such as migraines, tension headaches, and sinus headaches. Tension headaches are usually associated with stress, poor posture, vision problems, structural problems, or injury. They have a high response rate to acupuncture after a few weeks of treatment. Sinus related headaches require treatment of the underlying infection, and draining of the sinuses cavities. This can be accomplished well with acupuncture pain relief therapy, and herbs.
Migraine headaches, on the other hand, indicate an enduring imbalance in the body that can require patience and consistency to treat successfully. After meeting with a medical doctor to rule out other health conditions that may be causing the headaches, acupuncture pain relief therapy can begin. Treatment typically includes acupuncture combined with Chinese herbal medicine. It is important to commit to acupuncture treatment at least twice weekly for about 8 weeks, regardless of whether a headache is occurring. After this period there should be a noticeable reduction in the frequency and intensity of the headaches. Treatment should be continued once weekly for several more months with continual improvement noted.
Women are more susceptible than men to migraines. Migraines are often linked to the menstrual cycle and the changing balance of hormones. Other types of headaches, such as tension headaches, can come at any time of the cycle and are often associated with stress, neck and upper body tension, neck injuries and whip-lash. Some people suffer from both.
Tension headaches respond quite well to acupuncture, and treatments usually focus of releasing knots in the neck, upper back and shoulders, and treating tense and tender acupuncture points.
Certain types of migraines respond rather well to acupuncture. Usually treating a woman’s overall hormonal balance around her menses, along with her other symptoms of PMS will go a long way in improving menstrual migraines.
During pregnancy, hormones are in great flux, and women who suffer migraines may see them increase, yet not have many medical options. Acupuncture, administered by a trained professional, is a safe option for pregnancy migraines, since it is drug free, and without side effects.
With migraine headaches, patients will respond differently depending on a number of factors, such as their constitution and migraine type. Some types of chronic migraines may not respond very much to treatment. Usually it will take several treatments to judge if a patient is a responder with migraines, and what level of improvement may be expected.
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