Your head is hurting, you’re having a a hard time looking at or hearing anything, all you want to do is lay down in a quiet room alone for a while. This is how your life might look if you suffer from migraines.
A higher percentage of women have migraines than men. The average age of the onset is between 10 and 30 years of age. Some studies indicate that migraines can have a heredity link as 50% of migrainers have a family history of migraines. Women who have migraines during their fertile years also tend to find a correlation between when the migraines occur and their menstrual cycles. Headaches and nausea are some of the cardinal symptoms of migraines, additionally patients can experience any combination of:
* Lost appetite
* Throbbing pain
* Blind spots
* Seeing bright flickering lights which cause blind spots
* Throbbing headaches
* Stomach pain
* Dizziness
Migraines are typically treated with various prescription or over the counter drugs used to stop pain or nausea. There is also a growing interest in more natural therapies geared towards stopping and preventing migraines without side effects.
One of the ways to experience a more holistic approach to stopping you migraines is to visit a practitioner who is classically trained in Chinese Medicine. These are practitioners of acupuncture who are trained in Acupuncture, Chinese Herbal medicine, food therapy and are trained to discriminate patterns of disharmony in the patient using thorough inquiry as well as tongue and pulse diagnosis. After arriving at a nuanced diagnosis, practitioners of Chinese Medicine will use any combination of these methods to treat the migraine. Through the use of acupuncture they stimulate points located on meridians (pathways) on the body. This process clears blockages or “stuck Qi” (energy). From a western biomedical perspective, when a patient receives acupuncture pain is relieved by promoting the circulation and releasing endorphins.
If you are working with an acupuncturist who has classical training in Traditional Chinese Medicine, they may also prescribe an herbal formula to correct the patterns of disharmony underlying chronic recurring migraines. The use of herbs and acupuncture to correct the blockages and disharmonies are an effective combination to stop and prevent migraines naturally.
Rebecca Hindman L.Ac. practices Acupuncture in Austin Texas. Learn more about how Chinese Medicine works by visiting Austin Acupuncture. You can download your Free Ebook at www.TrueNatureClinic.com.