Los Angeles Acupuncture, Herbology, and Nutrition Center -- Headaches

Headache

In both China and Western medicine, headache and migraine are just symptoms, manifestations of underlying syndromes. Even though hypertension is the commonest syndrome, headaches may be associated with much more serious conditions, such as cerebral tumor or haemorrhage. Therefore, if you are suffering of acute or chronic headache that is steadily or suddenly increasing in severity, it is best to obtain Western medical diagnosis before entering any alternative therapies.

In Western medicine the origin of headaches is largely unknown. What is known is the cause: dilation of the blood vessels in the head. In Chinese medicine, these symptoms mainly relate to Liver syndromes. There may be inherited tendencies to headache and to hypertension which are activated by a variety of factors, such as tiredness, overwork, lack of sleep, illness, malnutrition, poor eating habits, constipation, dehydration, allergies, drugs, low blood sugar, trauma and emotional stress.

A nutrient called tyramine which is found in many foods and beverages (aged cheese, bananas, beef, chicken livers, chocolate, eggplant, pickled herring, soy sauce, sour cream, cured meats, certain champagnes and red wine), as well as some food additives- monosodium glutamate(MSG) used in Chinese restaurants as a flavor-enhancer, and nitrate and nitrite used to preserve cured meats are also known to trigger headaches and migraines. The most important factor is probably emotional stress.

Even infrequent headaches are not to be ignored, since they do have two important functions besides just making us miserable. The first being a way of releasing the pressure of suppressed emotions. Many people not only live very stressful lives, but also are unable to process and resolve these stresses within themselves. Headaches or skin rashes give a form of release to accumulated stress and suppressed emotions. The second function of headaches is a warning from the body that it's not well before a more serious illness develops. It's like a flashing yellow light- it means- SLOW DOWN, examine your life, think why does your head hurt, do not just pop a pain killer and keep going. Make changes to your life pattern. After all, the headache is often an indication of hypertension and the two very common progressions are heart attack or stroke, two of the most common causes of death.

Have more questions about headaches & migraines? Please call for a free consultation appointment or fill out the contact form.