TCM Patterns Behind Headaches

Chinese medicine categorises headaches by location and quality, each pointing to a different underlying pattern:

Temporal headaches (sides of head) — Liver Qi stagnation or Liver Yang rising, often triggered by stress, hormonal changes, or frustration. Forehead headaches — Stomach heat or Spleen Qi deficiency. Vertex headaches (top of head) — Liver Blood deficiency or Liver Wind. Occipital headaches (base of skull) — Kidney deficiency or wind-cold invasion. Full-head headaches — Phlegm-damp obstruction.

How Acupuncture Treats Headaches

Acupuncture relieves headaches through multiple mechanisms:

• Reduces inflammation of meningeal and cerebral vessels
• Regulates serotonin levels (key in migraine pathophysiology)
• Releases endogenous opioids that block pain transmission
• Reduces cortical spreading depression — the wave behind migraine aura
• Addresses underlying hormonal, digestive, or stress triggers

Migraine Prevention vs Acute Treatment

Acupuncture works well for both migraine prevention (reducing frequency and severity) and acute treatment (shortening duration and intensity when applied early in an attack).

For prevention, we recommend weekly sessions for 8 weeks, then monthly maintenance. Most patients see a 40–60% reduction in migraine days within 8 weeks.

Medications and Acupuncture

Acupuncture integrates safely with triptans, preventive medications (topiramate, beta-blockers), and other treatments. Our goal is to reduce your reliance on acute medications — not to compete with your GP's management.

Each headache has a story written in your body — when we read it correctly, the path to relief becomes clear.