Natural Ways to Alleviate Headaches from an Eastern Medicine Perspective

Schedule an Appointment
Master Lu's Health Center, Salt Lake City, Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Fatigue

When you get a headache what does it feel like? Is it dull, nagging, aching, and lasts all day? Is it sharp, stabbing, throbbing, and short-lived?

Where is your pain located? Does it feel like a tight headband going from your forehead to the back of your head? Maybe into your neck? Is it on one side? Behind your eyes? Do you feel it at your temples or near your jawline?

Do you feel better when you lie down in a dark room and recuperate? Does eating a snack or a meal help? Conversely, do you feel better when you get out and take a walk or does eating a greasy meal make your headache worse or even bring it on?

In Eastern Medicine, the answers to these questions help to define and diagnose the type of headache you experience based on pain, location, and whether your headache is a manifestation of a deficient or excess state.

Excess vs Deficiency

Excess conditions tend to be more intense and acute while deficient conditions tend to be more dull, nagging, and chronic. If your symptoms are better with rest, your headache is likely due to deficiency because you are easily depleted. If your symptoms are better with exercise or movement, your headaches are likely due to an excess state and you need to burn off energy.

In Eastern Medicine, when we diagnose a deficient state we tonify or nourish the imbalance, in an excess state we quell or calm the overactivity. We have several tools we use to bring the body back to balance. The main tools are acupuncture, nutrition, and botanicals.
Acupuncture

One of the best ways to get immediate relief from a headache is to find a qualified, licensed acupuncturist in your area and get acupuncture treatments. Acupuncture is when tiny needles are inserted at specific locations that correspond to your pain. Many acupuncturists specialize in headaches and love treating them because acupuncture often provides on-the-spot relief and people leave the acupuncturist’s office headache-free. Regular acupuncture can also prevent headaches from occurring in the first place and many people end up getting regular treatments once or twice a month to keep their headaches completely away.

Nutrition

Eastern medicine has been treating headaches with nutritional recommendations for thousands of years. First, it is good to identify if you are more prone to a stress or tension headache if you have missed meals or are feeling hungry. This type of headache means there is a deficiency occurring and the body needs energy in order to nourish itself and prevent a headache.

Many people are busy at work or on their computer focusing for hours and they are not paying attention to their hunger. This is a sign of a deficient-type headache.

It is also possible to experience a headache after eating foods that do not agree with your constitution. For example, if your headache pain comes with brain fog or a muzzy feeling in the head, it is best to avoid sugary or fried foods and aim for healthy options.

Acupuncturists are also trained in what foods are best for what type of headache you are experiencing and can counsel you on how to change your meals to prevent headaches.

Chinese Medicinals (Botanicals)

There are many formulas in the vast Chinese Medicinal Pharmacy that are used for headaches. A licensed acupuncturist has undergone many years of training in this pharmacopeia and can prescribe a formula that will bring homeostasis to an excess or deficient constitution. These formulas are often individualized to each person’s constitution with great precision or there are common formulas used that are also very effective.

footer logo
Master Lu has been practicing Acupuncture and Chinese martial arts for over 40 years. He was one of the first Licensed Acupuncturist in the state of Utah. He was trained in Taiwan in both Acupuncture and Chinese martial arts mainly Northern Shaolin Kung Fu and Old Yang Style Tai Chi. Master Lu was also twice national champion for full contact fighting in Taiwan.

Contact Details

Newsletter

Subscribe to Master Lu’s
Newsletter Today!
Privacy Policy
© 2024 by Master Lu’s Health Center All Rights Reserved.
magnifiercrosschevron-down linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram