Migrane sufferers can get relief with Acupuncture
Those who turn to Acupuncture for relief from Migrane headaches are often rewarded with relief. Acupuncture has been used for centuries by Oriental physicians to treat migraine headaches, and is now being used successfully as a complementary or alternative treatment here in the USA.
What are Migrane Headaches?
People who suffer with recurrent migraine headaches can have periods of significant incapacitation. Throbbing one-sided migraine headaches may be associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and visual changes. Even neurological effects, such as altered speech, numbness and temporary paralysis may occur. Migraines may last hours or days, and leave the individual feeling exhausted, ill, and fearful of the next attack. Many have mixed migraine headaches, in which tension, sinus, and vascular headaches such as migraine occur together or in close proximity.
Western medicine theorizes that migraines are set off by dilation of small branches of the carotid artery. Such dilation occurs in response to the release from the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) of certain neuro-chemicals such as serotonin, histamines and others. We don’t understand why this happens, but we do know there are many situations that precipitate the headaches. These include excess sunlight exposure, too much sleep (weekends/holidays), emotional distress (internal anger/ resentment/ anxiety), menstrual periods (hormonal changes), certain drugs, and various foods (chocolate, red wine, aged hard cheeses, nuts, etc,). Different people have different precipitating factors. They need to pay careful attention to these potential initiators of their migraine headaches.
Treating Migrane Headaches
Treatment for migraine headaches is aimed at avoiding precipitants as much as possible. Many different drugs have been tried and used to prevent or treat the headaches. These include Tylenol, aspirin and other anti-inflammatories such as Advil and Alleve, beta-blockers, calcium-channel blockers, anti-depressants, ergot drugs, and most recently drugs called triptans (Sumatriptan, Imitrex, Maxalt, Zomig, etc.). Many of these work moderately well, but they all have potentially significant adverse side-effects.
Migraines often respond to acupuncture with a decrease in pain severity and frequency of headaches. In addition acupuncture can frequently reduce associated symptoms, such as nausea, fatigue, muscle tension, and emotional stress. Acupuncture may work by altering the release of those familiar neuro-chemicals, like serotonins, in the central nervous system. The ability of acupuncture to affect these chemicals has been shown in many clinical studies.
When combined with careful avoidance of precipitants, acupuncture can be a very helpful and significant addition to improving the life of migraine sufferers. Medications may be able to be decreased or even stopped, and some people may experience total cure of their migraine headaches after 2-3 months of treatment with acupuncture.
