Non-medicinal Approaches to Headaches
The experience of headaches differs from person to person. Most people suffer from mild headaches once in a while, but there are people whose headaches occur repeatedly and last for a long time, completely disrupting their lives. Headache is only a symptom which can have many causes. Factors able to stimulate the blood vessels, nerves, or muscles surrounding the skull could trigger off headaches, while factors able to soothe these tissues are beneficial to headaches. Therefore, a number of non-medicinal methods are available to keep headaches under control, learning some of the techniques can help you better copy with headache attacks and less depend on pain medications.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the head is regarded as "the confluence of yang" and "the dwelling of lucid yang," which mean the head is closely connected with other parts of the body, and all the organs are responsible for nourishing it. The body has a giant web called the meridian system to supply the head with fundamental substances like essence, qi and blood. When the meridian system is dysfunctional, which causes obstruction of the head collaterals or under nourishment of the head orifices, headaches will occur. TCM therapeutic principle for headaches is to unblock the meridians and collaterals, and reactivate qi and blood. Apart from the routine approaches like acupuncture and herbal remedies, many non-medicinal methods are employed as auxiliary. They help reduce the frequency and severity of headaches, and improve the overall efficacy of headache treatment. TCM methods like massage, auricular stimulation, scraping and cupping are all non-medicinal approaches, which are simple and safe to apply. These treatment options are worth a try.
