Headache is a subjective symptom. It can be induced by various acute and chronic diseases. As it covers a wide sphere, this section only deals in detail with headache as the predominant symptom. If headache is an accompanying symptom in the development of a certain disease, it will disappear automatically as soon as the disease is cured. This type of headache is not to be discussed here.
The head is the place where all the yang meridians of hand and foot meet, and qi and blood of the five zang organs and six fu organs all flow upward to the head. Attacks of endogenous or exogenous factors may cause headache due to derangement of qi and blood in the head and retardation of circulation of qi in the meridians that traverse the head. Headache caused by exogenous pathogenic factors is mostly due to invasion of pathogenic wind into the meridians and collaterals. It is said, “When the pathogenic wind invades the human body, it first attacks the upper portion of the body.” Headache caused by endogenous factors often originates from hyperfunction of the liver yang or deficiency of both qi and blood.
Invasion of pathogenic wind into the upper meridians and collaterals cause derangement and obstruction of qi and blood. With stagnation in the collaterals, sudden weather change or exposure to wind usually precipitates an attack of headache.
In patients with excessive yang of body constitution, headache may be caused by upsurge of liver yang due to stagnation of qi or injury of the liver after a fit of anger, which damages the yin.
Headache may also be caused by deficiency of both qi and blood because of irregular food intake, overstrain and stress, poor health with a chronic disease or congenital deficiency. Deficiency of qi prevents the clear yang from ascending, and deficiency of blood does not nourish the mind, so there is headache.
Headache occurs in various diseases of modern internal medicine, surgery, neurology, psychosis, ear, nose, throat, etc.
Acupuncture gives gratifying results in migraine, and in vascular and neurotic headache.
For more information, please call Jun’s Acupuncture Clinic at 661-263-7230.