Headaches/Migraines

Chinese Medicine for Healing Migraines and Headaches

migraine headache e1516038713937Chinese medicine is brilliant for migraines and headaches.   It is one of my favorite things to treat in the clinic because people can be in such great amounts of pain and see results very quickly.  One of our professors in graduate school triumphantly announced in class one day, “what I am going to teach you right now will eliminate 50% of all the headaches you will ever see in the clinic.”  I thought, “yea, right”, I have to see it to believe it.  Sure enough, about 50% of the time, it eliminates a headache within seconds and I am always delighted every time it works.

I was at a weekend retreat once and in the morning two women told me they hadn’t slept very the night before and both had headaches.  I told them I was an acupuncture physician and that if they were ok I would like to try something.  She let me stimulate some acupuncture points on her feet and within seconds the headache was gone.  The same thing happened to the second woman.  Both were shocked, I was pleased and they were both headache free.

Most people need more extensive treatment to correct the underlying problem, but at times, people can see very fast results.  It is really where the medicine shines.  I have countless numbers of clinical stories with people who have spent thousands on extensive tests, only to be told that they can’t find anything wrong.  Chinese medicine looks at every symptom someone has to see if it follows a pattern and then we treat the pattern.  A pattern always exists and we identify the pattern very quickly.  We have so many tools to help people including food therapy, herbs, whole foods supplements, acupuncture, massage, auricular therapy, meditation for stress and other modalities to help reduce and eliminate internal emotional stress that may be contributing to the problem.  I personally have adopted an understanding of the body that I wrote about here discussing The 5 Levels of Healing in the Body. Below we will talk briefly about these levels.  If you truly want to heal and feel relief from migraines and headaches, addressing each level is critical.

Physical Healing of Migraines and Headaches

The physical level is where most of Western medicine is focused.  I have had cases where all we needed to do was address some simple components to someone’s life and they were able to heal.  Of particular note is the role that diet and detoxification can play in helping someone to heal from migraines and headaches.  Many times, the problem is quite simple and with a few minor changes people can feel better right away.  In the clinic, we can put you on a detailed plan to make dietary changes, give you the whole food supplements or herbs you might need and what things can help you to detoxify the body in the best way.

Electrical Healing of Migraines and Headaches

The human nervous system communicates through electrical signals.  We commonly measure brain and heart electrical activity in the body (electrocardiogram).  We have electrical bodies.  The meridian system, which is tied to all our organs, is also an electrical system.  Qi (Chi) is not some weird thing, but electricity.  We are surrounded with electricity in our world today, but imagine trying to explain electricity to someone before 150 years ago, it would seem strange.

By turning the electricity “back on” in the body through stimulating acupuncture points, we can increase blood flow, oxygen, and also pain killing chemicals from the brain.   This can help you to feel better very quickly.  Your house would not function very well without proper electrical flow.  The same is true in your body.  Acupuncture points are found also connective tissue divides in the body.  Connective tissue is piezo-electric, meaning that is both generate and conduct electricity very well.  Your body can actually generate electricity!

Emotional Healing of Migraines and Headaches

Through the emotions we hold onto from the negative memories we have in our past, our body can generate pain.  You can literally have an emotional headache.  They are very common.  In these cases we need to be detectives and discover what emotions and memories from the past are contributing to this problem and then teach you a way how to release this emotional energy.  Once we do this, migraines and headaches can disappear.  I have seen this over and over in the clinic.  It is very powerful and easy to learn.  Below are some of the emotional factors that commonly contribute to each one of these issues.

Headache—Stress, tiredness, seriousness, too much going on. Feeling out of control, overwhelmed, overcrowded, frustrated, undermined. Self-criticism, self-sabotage, invalidation of self, judgment of self and others. Too much thinking and analysis.

Migraine—Control, pressure, seriousness, perfectionism. Overcommitting yourself. Great need for love and approval. Ignoring your own needs. Putting other people before you. Extreme guilt and anxiety. Conflict with self and other people. Self-punishment. Feeling angry and annoyed with others. (The Secret Language of Your Body – Inna Segal).

When we address every level of the body, seeing it holistically and in an integrative way, you will have the very best chance of healing from migraines and headaches.  Chinese medicine offers so many different solutions to address every pattern of dysfunction in the body.  It is a complete system of medicine and can help with virtually any health problem.  If this way of understanding the body resonates with you, call now to schedule at 407-255-0314.  If you are not in the Orlando, FL area, phone consultations are available to help you wherever you are.

Schedule Your FREE 15 Minute Phone Call Now

Click the button below or call 407-255-0314 now for a FREE 15 minute phone consultation with Dr. Scott

About Dr. Scott

Dr. Scott Graves, AP is a Board Licensed Acupuncture Physician who specializes in Naturopathic Medicine, Chinese Medicine, Nutrition Response Testing, General Health and more.