Headaches
What are Headaches?
Headaches are a common health condition characterized by pain or discomfort in the head or upper neck region. They can vary in intensity, duration, and location, and may be accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, and dizziness. Headaches can be classified into several types, including tension headaches, migraine headaches, cluster headaches, and secondary headaches.
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Headaches can have a significant impact on quality of life and productivity, but most are not a sign of serious underlying health issues. However, persistent or severe headaches should be evaluated by a healthcare professional to determine the cause and appropriate treatment.
What are the 9 Different Types of Headaches (according to TCM)?
1) Headache Due to Wind Cold
Symptoms: Occasional headache, pain extending to the neck and back, aversion to wind and chills—especially when exposed to wind—frequent head wrapping, lack of thirst, thin white fur, floating or tight pulse.
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2) Headache Due to Wind Heat
Symptoms: Head swelling and pain, which may feel like a crack, fever or bad wind, flushed face and eyes, thirst, loose stool or constipation, yellow urine, red tongue, yellow coating, and floating pulse.
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3) Rheumatic Headache
Symptoms: Headache, heavy limbs, chest tightness, difficulty urinating, loose stools, white and greasy coating, weak pulse.
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4) Heat-Wet Headache
Symptoms: Onset in summer, headache and distension, body heat with little sweating, or body heat with mild wind and poor sweating, upset and chest tightness, retching without eating, thirst, red tongue with yellowish coating and slightly greasy coating, floating pulse.
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5) Damp-Heat Headache
Symptoms: Severe headache, heavy drowsiness, red eyes and bitter mouth, afternoon irritability and heat, short red urine, red tongue with yellow and greasy coating, slippery and rapid pulse.
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6) Dampness, Heat, and Phlegm (Leitoufeng 雷头风)
Symptoms: Thunder-like headache, nucleation or swelling and pain on the head and face, dry tongue, thirst, red tongue with yellow coating, strong and rapid pulse.
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7) Stomach Fire Attacks
Symptoms: Severe headache, nausea and vomiting, thirst and bad breath, photophobia and sound fear, yellow urine and constipation, red tongue, yellow and greasy coating, rapid and rapid pulse.
8) Liver-Fire Inflammation
Symptoms: Intensified headache, nausea and vomiting, irritability, bitter mouth, hypochondriac pain, red tongue, yellow coating, stringy and rapid pulse.
9) Kidney Deficiency and Headache
Symptoms: Headache, dizziness and tinnitus, weakness of the wrists and knees, chills and cold limbs, spermatorrhea, pale tongue with thin coating, deep and thready pulse.
How Does TCM Treat Headaches?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a common internal cause of headaches is (1) liver yang rising up to the head, resulting from a long-term deficiency of liver yin; (2) liver fire, a condition of extreme heat with the liver fire moving upward in the body, leading to excess in the upper part of the body; and (3) qi stagnation and blood stasis.
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Using acupuncture, fine needles are inserted at specific points on the body to stimulate the flow of qi, relieve tension, and alleviate pain associated with headaches.
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Treatment for headaches can also involve a combination of herbal remedies tailored to the individual's pattern of disharmony, targeting underlying imbalances like liver yang rising or qi stagnation. Additionally, techniques such as Tuina massage and dietary therapy are utilized to alleviate tension, improve circulation, and address specific dietary triggers that may exacerbate headaches.