Migraine Headaches & Case Studies When acupuncture needles “grasps qi” on points of the meridians throughout our body that communicates with different organ systems, it creates endorphins, which resembles morphine-like substances in their abilities to produce analgesic effects. It is also analogous to the activity of corticosteroid category of biochemicals, in their anti-inflammatory functions. A stubborn and reoccurring intermittent headache that is localized in different areas of the head, or to either unilateral or both sides of the head, in modern biomedicine is often diagnosed and summed up as a “migraine” for an easier understanding for the patient. In Chinese Medicine, this type of headache is related to the Qi and Blood stagnation of the Liver and Gallbladder Meridians. According to the diagnostic principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, this “migraine” is actually differentiated into a few categories after carefully considering different underlying causes of the disease: deficient yin causing hyperactive yang, liver yang rising, Qi and Blood stagnation, anger causing qi stagnation of the liver, excess liver fire, liver blood stagnation, etc. These theories and principles are very hard to understand by people who are not exposed to the TCM teachings. Moreover, these TCM jargons are quite difficult to comprehend; therefore the following discussions will not contain much of the Chinese Medicine verbiage for a better understanding of the readers. There are many underlying causes for migraine headaches. Few of those reasons are anemia, malnutrition, hypertension, head trauma, sleep deprivation, hepatic (liver) & biliary (gallbladder) diseases/disorders, long-term medications, cerebral injury or tumor, constipation, menstruation, poor posture, misalignment of the cervical or lumbar spine, etc. Sometimes with extreme temperatures, the exposure will evoke and exacerbate an existing migraine headache. The location for a migraine headache is around the temporal region. A throbbing pain that starts from the temples and extends to the back of the neck without warning. Sometimes accompanied by vertigo, palpitation, stuffiness in the chest, lusterless complexion, vomit, depression, anxiety and lack of interest. However when the migraine headache subsides, all the concurrent symptoms will also dissipate. Also with adequate rest, a migraine will automatically disappear. The vicious cycle then reverts again. In my clinic, a migraine patient ranges from the youngest, 2 years old to the oldest, 90 years old. Male patients take up 20% of the cases and female 80%; with majority of them during puberty. Often times once migraine patients have an occurrence, they will continuously have the same problem throughout their lives. The majority of migraine patients will take some form of analgesic to stop their pain. The most current and expensive medication for migraine is Imigran ($200-300NT per pill). This doesn’t have an analgesic effect, but is a vasodilator, allowing more blood flow to the head, thus stopping the pain. Cafergot is most prescribed medication by western doctors. It isn’t an analgesic, but is effective toward migraine. The downside is that after the medicinal effect wears off, the pain will still come back. Tylenol is something many people will buy in local pharmacies to stop pain. However you can build a tolerance with this type of medication and with long term use will cause irreversible liver and kidney damage. It is also possible that after the efficacy wears off, the pain will be greater. Our brain and the anatomical structures near by are very intricate and need to be supported very precisely. There cannot be any change or injury at all, for example, an increase of blood pressure in the cranium, or trauma to the head would be considered significant brain injuries. If any trauma or injury occurred to the cephalic regions or nearby areas, it would cause microcirculations inside the brain to be irregular, and often would result in discomfort in the head, for example, a migraine. In my years of clinical experience, I have found that statistically, a major cause for migraines is cervical misalignment. These make up about 91% of the cases in my clinic. The other 9% of the cases are colds and blood pressure related problems. When the cervical vertebrae are misaligned, the spaces between the foramina in the transverse processes will narrow, causing the vertebral artery that passes through to be compressed. As a result, the blood supply being delivered to the head by the vertebral artery is then inadequate, thus limiting hemoglobin and oxygen to be sent to the brain, causing dyspnea fullness in the chest, nausea, vertigo and lastly migraines. Many patients with headaches and migraines, who also experience neck and shoulder soreness and pain, should get a check up for cervical and thoracic vertebrae misalignment. If it is evident that misalignments exist, the cervical misalignment must first be treated (precisely adjusted) to correct the constriction of the vertebral artery. When the head receives an adequate amount of blood and oxygen, migraine symptoms will immediately subside. After, with acupuncture treatments to relax the nearby muscles, stimulate the channels, reduce inflammation and stop the pain. Lastly, along with the other treatments, take herbal medications (prescribed) that will invigorate the blood, and promote circulation. With the proper treatment steps, the effectiveness will improve. CASE 1:A 6 year old boy named Chen came to the clinic with the chief complaint of having a migraine headache on the left temporal region, left shoulder stiffness and is scared to move it. He was also not able to extend his left thumb, because it was painful. Tongue body was red with slight yellow tongue coating. His pulse was wiry. Chen was a boy who fidgets constantly, does not sit properly, and with poor posture. After diagnosis, it was cervical misalignment that has caused him a lot of discomfort and pain, and all his symptoms. He was treated with adjustments to his misaligned cervical vertebrae, and immediately the pain dissipated. Herbal medications that invigorate the blood were then prescribed to Chen. He has had no reoccurrences to this day. CASE 2:A 7 year old girl named Hong has a chief complaint of having a migraine on both temporal regions of the head. She had a pallid complexion. The patient complains that every time when her headaches attacks, she feels nauseated and has poor appetite. It has been an ongoing problem for more than 3 years; she cannot regularly attend school. Her condition has gotten worse, that every 2-3 days the migraine would attack. Hong has seen many doctors, both Chinese medicine and western medicine; she has also gone to the hospital for CT scan, and was told that everything was normal. But her headaches still persist. I diagnosed her with cervical misalignment, and after precisely adjusted the misaligned vertebrae, her migraine instantly ceased. She was prescribed 3 weeks of blood invigorating herbal formulas, and it has been 3 months since the patient experienced any more attacks. CASE 3:A 56 year old man named Mr. Kuo, had a chief complaint of having a migraine headache on the right side of the head; right shoulder and neck constant soreness and pain. He said that he experienced the migraine headache more than 20 years ago, but now the pain onset is daily. He has received many exams and scans in major hospitals, and all concluded with normal result. Years ago his symptoms were only headaches, but lately along with the headaches, he also experience vertigo at the same time. It made him very uncomfortable. He often seeks help from MD’s, and was prescribed Cafergot and Panadol. He was fearful of the side effects, and didn’t want to take the medication too frequent. 6 months ago he began to use Imigran a few times; however he was extremely nauseated after the effect wore off. He then was afraid of using Imigran. Mr. Kuo was depressed, in constant pain, and did not know what to do. I diagnosed him with cervical misalignment; his cervical vertebrae has narrowed the right vertebral artery and compressed the right cervical and brachial plexus; constricting blood flow to the brain, and disturbing nerve impulses. As a result, when there’s an onset of migraine, neck and shoulder pain would also be apparent. After I made a few adjustments to his vertebrae, the patient experienced a drastic improvement with his condition. Then with acupuncture to some specific points, his shoulder and neck pain were also alleviated. In addition, I counseled him on the proper sleeping position and supplemented with blood invigorating herbal prescriptions, after 1 month of multiple treatments, his condition improved tremendously. Mr. Kuo has not experienced an onset of migraine after 2 months. Out of 1000 randomized patients in my clinic, 191 of the cases are migraine patients. After treatments, 129 were seen with apparent regression of symptoms (67%), and 56 experienced extreme improvement (30%). 3 patients with slight improvement (0.015%), and 2 patients with no change in symptoms (0.01%). In my experience, it is highly advisable to correct sleep posture after treatment. It will decrease the chance of migraine reoccurrences. Returning to get check up periodically is also favorable. CAUTION: Cervical vertebral adjustment must be performed by experienced professional healthcare providers, due to the delicate nature of the regional anatomy; the detachment of vertebral artery will result in quadriplegia or/and other serious injuries. Q & AQuestion: Doctor, I have had migraines for a very long time and have seen many doctors, both Chinese medicine and western medicine, and have been taking so much medication, and do not seem to see improvement. Are there ways to get better without taking medications? Answer: In my point of view, if you have had this problem for a very long time, and all the hospital exams and scans have shown a normal result, and the problem is also accompanied with chronic shoulder and neck pain, then it is most likely a cervical problem that you’re dealing with. You should adjust your sleeping position, such as the space between your shoulder and your neck. But you should seek help from a health care provider with experience in this area to address your problem. Question: Doctor, I want to quickly take care of my persisting migraine, how long will it take? Answer: Everyone is different; depending upon the length and duration of the illness, and its severity. It also depends on the frequency of the clinic visit for treatments. Complete and utmost cooperation with the doctor will definitely promote the healing process. The article is for reference purposes only. If you have any discomfort and/or health-related issues, please contact a licensed healthcare professional that you trust.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 10:23:04 +0000
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