Migraine
Migraine is a neurological pain condition that causes debilitating headaches (usually one sided), and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, throbbing sensation in the eyeball and photo/ sound sensitivity. It typically may last for a few hours to a few days. Genetic and environmental factors play a major role in causation.
Conventional medications may help during an attack but Acupuncture and the appropriate lifestyle modifications can help prevent further incidents of migraine in the future.
Causative Factors :
- Sensory stimulation: bright light, loud noise, strong smells and cigarette smoke.
- Food : highly processed salty food, preservatives and sweet food items.
- Skipping meals or fasting.
- Drinks: alcohol and caffeine.
- Hormonal changes: during menstrual period, pregnancy or menopause.
- Sleep deprivation.
Red flag: Any headache with fever, fainting episode, seizure, neck stiffness, ENT bleed or projectile vomiting could be a medical emergency and needs radiological investigations and blood work.
Methodology :
- Needling, gua sha and cupping are the mainstay techniques that bring adequate pain relief and help manage the Qi stagnation responsible for migraines by regulating the immune and vascular systems.
- With regular treatments, the frequency and severity of these episodes reduce as well as the overall quality of life improves.
- Dependency on drugs gets alleviated in the process.
- Regular exercises such as yoga, nutritional counselling and limiting alcohol consumption all contribute to sustaining the improvement in the long run.
- A well-placed needle sets off a cascade of events:
- Through the neurohumoral pathway; producing a signal that travels along the spinal cord to the brain, triggering a release of neurotransmitters such as beta-endorphins, serotonin and enkephalins. (Pomeranz, 1987, Zijlstra 2003, Zhao 2008, Cheng 2009).
- Reduction of inflammation by promoting release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors thereby reducing pain. (Kim 2008, Kavoussi 2007, Zijlstra 2003).
- Through enhancing local microcirculation, by increasing the diameter and blood flow velocity of peripheral arterioles. It can repair muscle injuries and strengthen weak muscles or relax tense ones. (Komori 2009).
- Due to the concentrated placement of acupoints around the joints, it can influence the stimulation of nerve growth factor and bone growth factors; thereby facilitating tissue regeneration. (Gh, He, Ruan Jw, Zeng Ys, X. Zhou, Y. Ding, and Zhou Gh, 2015)
As per Classical Chinese Medicine, regular Acupuncture sessions in the long run promote production and circulation of Qi, blood and body fluids as well as aid the transformation process by eliminating toxins through sweat, urine and faeces. This, in turn optimises immunity, improves appetite, energy levels and sleep, regularises bowel movements and helps manage stress better.
The safety profile of acupuncture is excellent, with very few adverse events when performed by a trained practitioner.
As no two patients are alike, the duration of the treatment vastly depends on the patient’s age, health habits and the severity of the condition.