Headaches are one of those things that can really take enjoyment out of a nice moment and while I have seen many patients with mild to extremely severe headaches I never fail to notice how it affects quality of life.
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine do an excellent job at reducing or eliminating headaches but it is crucial to determine what the 'root cause' of the pain is. Here are a couple:
- Tension - usually affects the gallbladder, pain starts in the shoulders, rises up the neck and creeps around the corner to the temples, usually dull
- Blood deficiency- can be hormonal cycle related, can get light-headed when standing up too quickly, liver and spleen may be unbalanced, can feel exhausted
- Excess stomach energy- usually in the forehead, associated with high blood pressure, smoking, can affect vision, can have a bitter taste in the mouth and red face
- Dampness- usually described as having a heavy feeling in the head, like a wet towel wrapped around the head, can be affected by weather
These are just 4 types of of headaches and acupuncture points and herbs used differ for all of them. All headaches usually respond well to
- keeping well hydrated
- reducing caffeine
- eliminating sugar and highly processed foods
- getting adequate sleep
- acid/alkaline balancing the body
- exercising
One must never forget that sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. So if you are feeling like your cranium is getting crushed and cranked and its making you crazy try food journalling.
Write down every single thing you eat or drink and how you are feeling throughout the day. I can almost guarantee that you will start to see patterns in when you get headaches, what foods and drink may trigger them, and how your stress level may affect them. Until next time...
~Think Vitality!~
No comments:
Post a Comment