Do chronic headaches and migraines negatively affect your life?

More than one in six people suffer from chronic headaches that are not effectively treated with Western medicine. Headaches and migraines impact nearly every aspect of everyday life, making both work and pleasure activities unbearable. Many over-the-counter and prescription drugs have adverse side effects and fail to treat the underlying cause of the headache itself.

Acupuncture is a widely accepted form of treatment for headache and migraine relief with absolutely no long-term side effects. Acupuncture alters physiological and biochemical conditions that create migraine and headache pain by stimulating various nerve endings near the surface of the skin. Acupuncture practitioners treat each case individually and develop treatment plans dependent upon the patient’s unique symptoms. Important questions include:

  • What is the location of the headache? Is it behind the temples or more at the top of the head?
  • What time of day do the headaches typically occur?
  • What kind of pain is it? Dull and throbbing or piercing and sharp?
  • What have you tried to alleviate the pain? Has it worked?

The length and frequency of treatment depends on the individual. Some people receive immediate relief after one treatment while others might need multiple treatments to help with chronic ailments.

Multiple studies have been conducted which suggest substantial improvement in patients with headache pain using acupuncture. In 2005, the British Medical Journal published a comprehensive study of 270 individuals suffering from chronic tension headaches. 46% of patients undergoing acupuncture treatment reduced their headaches by at least a 50% compared to only 4% in the control group. These results continued to improve with time.