Headache Awareness Week

As part of a continuing effort to educate the public about the impact and severity of headache, and support the more than 45 million sufferers of this legitimate biological disease, the National Headache Foundation has declared June 4-10 as National Headache Awareness Week.

The goals of National Headache Awareness Week are:

• to gain recognition of headache pain as a real and legitimate condition


• to encourage sufferers to seek help


• to let sufferers know that there are many treatment options available.

Acupuncture for Headaches

Migraine and Headache Sufferers: Acupuncture Can Help

“Is the headache behind your eyes and temples, or is it located more on the top of your head? When do your headaches occur (i.e. night, morning, after eating)? Do you find that a cold compress or a dark room can alleviate some of the pain? Do you describe the pain as dull and throbbing, or sharp and piercing?”

These are all questions that your acupuncturist may ask when treating a headache.

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine have been used to relieve Headaches and Migraines, as well as their underlying causes, for thousands of years and is a widely accepted form of treatment for headaches in our society. In fact, headaches are one of the most commonly treated conditions as it can offer powerful relief without the side effects that prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause. Your acupuncturist can help you manage your pain with acupuncture alone, or as part of a comprehensive treatment program.

Diagnosis and Treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine does not recognize migraines and recurring headaches as one particular syndrome. Instead, it aims to treat the specific symptoms that are unique to each individual using a variety of techniques such as acupuncture, herbal medicine, bodywork/massage, and energetic exercises to restore imbalances found in the body.

Acupuncture points to treat headaches are located all over the body. During the acupuncture treatment, tiny needles may be placed along your forehead, temples, shoulders, arms, legs, hands and feet.

Research & Studies

Tension Headaches Dramatically Reduced by Acupuncture

A randomized controlled trial in Germany found that acupuncture cut tension headache rates almost in half.

Researchers divided 270 patients who reported similarly severe tension headaches into three groups for the study. Over the project’s eight-week period, one group received traditional acupuncture, one received only minimal acupuncture (needles inserted at non-acupuncture points, and at only shallow levels), and the third group received neither treatment.

Those receiving the traditional acupuncture reported headache rates of nearly half that of those who received no treatments, suffering 7 fewer days of headaches. The minimal acupuncture group suffered 6.6 fewer days, and the non-acupuncture group suffered 1.5 fewer days. When they received acupuncture after the main study period, the “no treatment” group also reported significantly fewer headache days.

The improvements continued for months after the treatments were concluded, rising slightly as time went on.

Source: British Medical Journal, July 2005

In This Issue

7 Healthy Habits