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Chronic Headache and Migraine
Disease description:
A migraine attack can cause pulsating and throbbing headaches, lasting between a few hours and up to three days. They are usually on one side of the head and accompanying symptoms are nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, as well as sensitivity to light, noise and smell. Migraines can occur with or without the so-called “aura”. This precedes the headaches and is usually caused by visual disturbances. A combination of factors such as lifestyle, diet and family predisposition can lead to a migraine attack with intense headaches.
Chronic headaches due to excessive muscle tension can be caused by persistent incorrect strain or psychological factors. Tension headaches are more likely to cause pulling pain or pressure pain, severe restrictions in everyday life and high psychological stress, as well as high internal tension.
Explanation according to the Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Chinese medicine says that “head is the meeting place of all Yang meridians”, “the brain is the sea of the marrow”, it means that all Internal Organs send Essence and Blood to the head. Because of this close relationship, factors that imbalance organs can be the cause of headaches. Although the symptoms are in the head, it is closely related to Liver, Spleen and Kidney. Headache can also be a cause of External Wind or Invading Cold. To be summarized there are two types of headache, the External caused and Internal caused.
Possible syndromes causing these problems:
Wind-Cold Headache
For headaches with an unclear cause, Wind-Cold can be the reason with signs of headaches and stiffness on the occiput, stiff back and neck, body aches, aversion to cold, runny nose, headache worse when exposed to wind or when the season/ weather changes.
Recommended formulas to use:
Liver Yang Rising
Intense, severe, throbbing, expanding pain; pulsating and pounding in the Gallbladder Meridian, temples, eyebrows or behind one or both eyes; better sitting up, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances, ‘flashing lights’, dizziness, dry throat, insomnia, irritability.
Clear Hyperyang alternatively Relieve Interior Wind
Recommended formulas to use:
Blood Stagnation
Blood Stagnation let the patient feel severe, intense, stabbing, fixed pain.
Recommended formulas to use:
Damp Retention
Damp prevents Clear Yang from rising to brighten the sense orifices, turbid Yin fails to descend: head feels ‘wrapped in a towel’; dull, heavy, difficulty thinking, affecting whole head or forehead, sinusitis, nausea, chest fullness.
Recommended formulas to use:
Qi and Blood Deficiency
Deficient Qi fails to ascend, Blood fails to nourish brain and patient feels a dull headache on whole head or forehead, better for rest, worse for overwork, better lying down, poor appetite, tired, loose stools, poor concentration.
