Migraine headaches are neurological events that cause intense, pulsing pain usually on one side of the head. You may have feelings of nausea or sensitivity to light or sound.
Attacks can last for days and be disruptive to everyday living. Pine Mountain Chinese Acupuncture & Herb Clinic in Austin, Texas, recommends this traditional Chinese medicine practice as an all-natural remedy for migraine, a drug-free way to ease your symptoms.
Migraine headaches aren’t well understood by the medical community, a trait shared with many neurological conditions due to the complexity of the nervous system. It’s known there’s a genetic link, because migraine runs in families.
Researchers suspect that changes to the brainstem and its interaction with the trigeminal nerves of the face play a key role. Neurotransmitters in the brain may also play a role.
Triggers are conditions that appear to bring on migraine episodes, rather than directly causing them. Some trigger sensitivities may be reduced through acupuncture therapy.
Using thin needles in strategic places along lines called meridians, our acupuncturist, Dr. Ziyang Zhou, L.Ac., MD, stimulates specific pressure points to rebalance your body’s energy to reduce the frequency and intensity of your migraine symptoms.
For migraine, the appropriate pressure points are usually in the neck and back. A common effect of treatment is that pain signals become disrupted so your brain doesn’t interpret them with the same focus.
Acupuncture needles themselves also trigger localized blood flow as well as positively influencing nerve signals. When the needles are in place, Dr. Zhou may manipulate the needles to enhance these stimulations.
Results vary widely among patients. Usually, a series of six treatments, typically spaced about a week apart, are recommended to start and maintain beneficial effects.
Some patients see complete remission from migraine, but the average experience is usually less dramatic. The improvements in migraine frequency and intensity can help reduce your reliance on pain medications, many of which carry side effects that lead to other health issues.
Just as the cause of migraine is unclear, how acupuncture relieves migraine symptoms isn’t fully understood, but reviews of clinical trials show significant improvements for many patients.
There’s little risk to acupuncture therapy, so it’s safe to add to your treatment program. Acupuncture doesn’t impact or interfere with other therapies, so you don’t need to surrender a partially effective treatment, making acupuncture an excellent complementary therapy.
Find out more by contacting Pine Mountain Chinese Acupuncture & Herb Clinic at our Austin office. Call or click to book your consultation with Dr. Zhou today.
