As you may know, migraines can last for hours and even several days at a time. In most instances, these episodes are characterized by sharp, throbbing headaches, and a range of other symptoms including vomiting, sensitivity to light and lack of energy. In fact, stress is another consequence of migraines and this is especially true over a sustained period.
Although there are many variations of migraines and headaches, there is no proven cure and most people avail of over the counter medications to treat the problem. However, herein is one of the problems with modern treatment, for recent studies show that 73% migraine patients use far too many acute medications on a daily basis.
At the same time, severe headaches and migraines do not need to be chronic to require treatment. After all, even a single migraine is known to dramatically reduce a person's productivity or efficiency while the stress involved is uncomfortable, to say the least. With this in mind, anyone who suffers from regular headaches or migraines should seek specialist treatment and as already mentioned, acupuncture is widely regarded as the most effective treatment available.
Migraines affect one in seven people in the United States on an annual basis which is a similar statistic in Australia, according to the National Library of Medicine. In case you might be asking yourself, this is more than thirteen percent of the population and several million of these suffer even more with a debilitating variation known as a chronic migraine.
Although there is no proven cause for migraines, most people are exposed to this condition as a result of genetics and recent studies suggest that diet, stress, alcohol and even erratic sleep patterns can contribute to the onset of the most common symptoms. Further studies also show that headache medications produce negative side effects and will most often result in negative long-term health issues.
With this in mind, acupuncture is widely recognized as one of the safest treatments for migraines. In fact, acupuncture is also one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of migraines.
Using needles to take away pain? Treating the foot to heal the shoulder? Asking me about how I sleep when I've come in for a rash? Chinese medicine can be so foreign, so different from everything we understand in modern thought, that it's hard to get your head around.
Now, I didn't want to write a dry, yawn-fest, medical jargon-heavy blog post, but I believe it's important to arm ourselves with as much information as possible. There's a ton of conflicting and confusing information out there but it's vital we know how to help ourselves so that we're armed to the teeth!
So today, huddle in…Because we're going in deep and we're getting specific! Luckily, you're in good hands though, because I'm the "funnest" acupuncturist out!
Acupuncture is actually really simple in essence. We insert hair-thin needles into specific anatomical sites, known as acupuncture points, to stimulate the body's natural self-healing capacity.
But Eamon, how is this possible?
It's because… the tiny, minute cells that make up our body carry such important information that any time something enters the body (e.g. needle penetration), it causes a change in the information carried in the cell.
It's because… Our bodies are made up of electrical (neural) pathways that are stimulated instantaneously when we insert needles, which in turn stimulate a response from the brain to change our physiology.
It's because… Qi (pro: Chi), the name given to the "energy" of the body, is linked in Chinese thinking to the embryological science of the body.
It's possible because within this holistic paradigm, our limbs and systems and organs and skin are all part of the one body system. And it's this understanding that breeds a radically different approach to medicine.
The human body is a m a z i n g.
It's highly responsive, which gives it limitless capacity for change and progress.
We know that if we live and work in an environment without direct sunlight, we can become Vitamin D deficient. We know that Vitamin D deficiency can lead to depression and other physiological problems.
If something as small or incidental as not getting enough sun can radically change the body, it shows that something even smaller, i.e. Acupuncture, can have a profound effect.
Through my clinical experience, Acupuncture is a very experiential medicine, meaning you can feel, feel out and feel around, it's effectiveness. As soon as the first few needles are inserted, you will be able to tell whether or not something has changed.
Especially if you're in pain, but even so if you have an internal disorder. The heart rate slows to normal, the stress and tension in the body feels like it's dissipating and you will feel.. "different".
If I had read a blog like this before I'd ever tried Acupuncture, with someone telling me that doing something as simple as putting needles in the body could have such a profound effect on the body, I wouldn't have believed it.
Or, you believe this guy.
This guy who grew up in a family where conventional medical treatments were the go-to, and living with seem-ably 'incurable' injuries was a given.
This guy who one day came across an acupuncturist clinic and never turned back.
This guy who is writing to you today, who was you.
My first treatment changed my career path, invigorated passions I never knew I had, and lead to the happy and fulfilled person I am today.
Find what works for you, but know you always have a choice.
AS you get older you never really regret the choices you made quite as much as you regret the choices you didn't make. Take control of your health. Your body will love you for it.
Migraines and Headaches: 5 Steps to long-lasting relief, Today!
We all know headaches and Migraines can be excruciating. They can last for a minute or an hour, or in some cases can be episodic over many years.
This kind of pain brings people to their knees; by the time they come to me, they're willing to try anything. Luckily, I can help.
The key point to remember when it comes to pain there are generally SYMPTOMS and then there is the ROOT of the problem. The nature of the pain receptors in the body are incredibly complex. Just because pain is in one spot or covering an entire area, it doesn't mean what's causing the pain is in the same location.
This is where acupuncture comes in! The focus is to stimulate the body's systems to re-correct the pathways that are causing the headaches and pain. When the needle is inserted, the brain registers the needle's presence and sends information around the body to start relieving pain.
1. Stimulating Acupuncture points to encourage the production of endorphins (natural painkillers) to travel to the area of pain.
2. Beginning a process of reducing inflammation and pressure in the site of pain.
3. Encouraging the normal function of the Nervous, Hormonal, Circulatory and Physiological systems.
With this approach the body starts to address not only relieving the pressure and pain of the headache, but also addresses the real cause of the pain.
In my clinical experience, often times a general broad headache across the head, following needle insertion, focuses on one point of pain.
One woman in her 50s had a headache that was akin to a dull ache all over her head. She likened the pressure and pain to wearing a tight helmet. After the first needles were inserted she felt only pain on the left side of her head and the right side pain was alleviated. As we address the whole area, the root of the problem commonly falls into one spot.
If you spend all your time addressing or suppressing the symptoms with medication or supplements you will only see short term relief and it is impossible to treat the root of the problem. As your body gets used to pain-killing medication, it builds up a natural resistance to the drug. This means you're unable to maintain the levels of relief you were previously experiencing.
The only solutions are to increase the dosage of your medication or to be prescribed a new, stronger drug.
Headaches and Migraines occur and effect people differently. Some come in fixed tension or clusters, others are constant and in an overall ache. All cases have different levels of severity but all are debilitating to daily life. It is time to take action and to look for natural solutions.
– Stress: Find 10 minutes of relaxation everyday- Lunchtime is the best time.
– Water: Making sure the body is properly hydrated and getting the right minerals.
– Keep a Headache and Migraine Daily Diary!
Write down the Severity, location of, duration, and the amount of headaches you suffered.
Diarising your headaches is ESSENTIAL for treatment and fast tracking your recovery. It allows us to focus directly on the pain and give you the fastest and longest lasting pain relief possible.
IF you've had enough of headaches and ready for a natural approach to feeling great.
Finding joy in the simplest things today. The Japanese and the Chinese have culturally embedded philosophies in that each seemingly menial task in your day has an intrinsic spiritual value. Each task is an art form within itself and takes years to study and master- gongfu. Today I make tea tomorrow enlightenment.