Achieve Migraine Relief with Acupuncture

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What’s a Migraine?

A migraine is a beast that can be the most miserable experience you can have. If a severe headache were not enough, the accompanying evils of nausea, vomiting, soreness of eyes, and extreme sensitivity to sound and light would add to the troubles of the patient. The intensity of migraine pains can be so much that the patient has difficulty doing his or her daily tasks. As a result, things like thinking, eating, working, and even resting.

How Does a Migraine Differ from a Normal Headache?

It is essential to be able to distinguish between migraines and regular headaches to be treated in a better way. Following are some of the symptoms of a migraine that set it apart from regular headaches:

  • Neck stiffness
  • Depression
  • Difficulty with speaking clearly
  • Seeing light flashes, or bright spots
  • Temporary loss of your vision
  • Frequent yawning
  • The feeling of a tingling sensation in your body
  • Fatigue or low energy
  • Irritability

There are no permanent remedies available in conventional medicine for migraine. Most of the drugs give temporary relief to the patient, therefore only lasting for a short time. This short amount of time, in addition to the side-effects of some medications, has consequently driven many people to resort to different types of healing treatments, lifestyle changes, and alternative medicines like acupuncture to achieve migraine relief.

Acupuncture – The Real Solution to a Migraine

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a popular type of alternative therapy which involves inserting thin needles into specific points of the body to relieve pain. It is a traditional Chinese healing method which has been popular for centuries. The basis of this treatment is that the human body consists of a network of energy lines that keep the Qi (energy) flowing throughout the body. When you experience pain in a specific area of the body, using acupuncture technique to stimulate a particular point associated with that area will reduce the pain. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized acupuncture as an effective healing practice for pain relief.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

A lot of people are perplexed by how merely inserting needles in specific points can thus ward off the pain. The answer to this lies in the stimulation of the network of energy lines that are brought about by acupuncture. The acupuncture points are usually near different nerve endings of the body. When needles are inserted into single or multiple locations (or points) near the nerve endings depending upon the symptoms, the hormones such as Endorphins and Oxytocin will release. This trigger response occurs due to the stimulation of the immune system and the circular system, thus relieving the patient of his or her pain. The release and circulation of endorphins throughout the body are restoring the flow of positive Qi (energy) throughout the body by the proponents of Acupuncture.

Many studies have shown that acupuncture can be an effective and drug-free way to deal with migraine headaches. In western countries, the popularity of acupuncture as a means to treat migraine and tension headaches has grown multi-fold in recent years. Good acupuncture therapy will alleviate the symptoms associated with a migraine almost as much as conventional medicines and drugs.

Most researchers attribute this phenomenon to the release of positive neurotransmitters and hormones brought about by the stimulation of nerve endings near acupuncture points by the inserted needles. These positive hormones like Serotonin, Endorphins, Oxytocin, GABA, and Norepinephrine alter the way the brain of the patient processes pain, thus leading to a reduction of sufferings. By inducing several changes in the cerebral glucose metabolism of the regions of the brain that are related to the pain, acupuncture lessens the intensity of the pain the patient experiences during migraines.

What is the Treatment Plan for Migraines?

Acupuncture therapy for migraine relief usually takes about an hour and is recommended once a week. Depending upon the intensity of the migraine attacks, the duration of the entire treatment varies. However, most patients are usually feeling better in about six weeks. In Western medical acupuncture treatment, there are multiple approaches to treat migraine headaches.

Are There 4 Different Acupuncture Approaches?

1. Focal Points

The most common method includes the stimulation with needles at the focal points on the head and neck. They are called focal points because they are present in the same area in which the patient is experiencing pain.

2. Distant Points

The second acupuncture strategy in the treatment of migraine consists of stimulating the distant points. Distant points like on hands and feet. They are referred to distant points because they are not present in the vicinity of the areas affected by a migraine.

3. Trigger Point

The third approach is the ‘trigger point’ acupuncture technique. The needles are inserted in the specific points in muscles. As a result, these points prompt the release of muscular spasms that contribute to a migraine.

4. Sham Acupuncture

There is another variant of the acupuncture treatment which is also quite useful in tackling migraine. Sham Acupuncture is a treatment that involves inserting the needles less deeply inside the patient’s skin. In this treatment, the points chosen usually lie in an area far from the classic acupuncture points.

Does Acupuncture Cure Migraines?

A recent study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that the effects of acupuncture in migraine treatment are not only quick but are also long-lasting. As a part of this study, 500 individuals participated in the trials. In addition to reporting an immediate reduction in the intensity of pain, the participants who received traditional acupuncture therapy said a reduction in the frequency, duration, and severity of a migraine for the next three months.

Having said that it is possible to achieve migraine relief with acupuncture, it is also highly imperative to note that the success of the procedure depends on the acupuncturist too.

Safety Note

We recommend to only receive the treatment from a licensed and trained practitioner who meets all the safety and hygiene standards. If you get this treatment from an inexperienced and a non-licensed practitioner, as a result, you are putting yourself at an increased risk of bleeding, bruising, and infections.

Acupuncturists do not recommend treatments for women that are pregnant. As well as patients suffering from blood-related disorders or heart patients fitted with a pacemaker.