90% of Headache is tension headaches.

Debby, a 43-year-old woman, experiences nervousness and anxiety, often accompanied by headaches dating back to her college days. The headaches occur most frequently before exams and during menstruation, and their location and intensity vary. The frequency and severity of the headaches decrease when stress is alleviated (tension headaches). Due to her high-stress job and frequent headaches, she once visited a Western doctor who prescribed painkillers.

Why Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine?

Debbyby sought traditional Chinese medicine, hoping to use acupuncture and herbal medicine to reduce the chance of taking painkillers. We diagnosed Herby with tension headache and cluster headache. After receiving acupuncture and herbal medicine treatment, her headache symptoms showed significant improvement.

Tension headache

The most common type of Headache is tension headache, which makes up about 90% of all headaches. It is caused by the contraction of muscles around the head, which stimulates blood vessels or nerves around the muscle. This often results in a sensation of tightness around the head.

Migraines

 Migraines account for 5-6% of all headaches. Symptoms include anxiety, fatigue, and changes in appetite a day before onset. Migraines typically occur in one area of the head and are accompanied by pulsing sensations, nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and noise sensitivity. 

Cluster headaches

Cluster headaches are a rare type, comprising only 1% of all headaches. However, they are typically more severe, starting from the eye socket or temple and progressing to one side of the head. Symptoms include pallor, night sweats, stuffy nose, and watery eyes.

You may be interested in post: Headache

Diagnosis 

Debby experiences constant tension sensations where in her neck and the back of her head, mainly when working on the computer for extended periods. From the symptoms, it is undoubtedly a tension headache. However, Debby said she had a severe nocturnal attack the second day after her menstrual period in the past week. It started from the right eye socket, and she had symptoms such as tearing and nasal congestion. The pain was so severe that she could not sleep. This is a cluster sexual headache.

Treatment

Tension headaches are mainly caused by abnormal tension of the back of the neck and occipital galea aponeurosis. Choose at the Luoque, Yuzhen, and Tianzhu points on the Bladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang and Fengchi and Naokong on the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang and other acupoints. For cluster headaches, acupuncture is performed at Shangguan and Yangbai points on the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang, Quchi and Hegu points on the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand Yangming, and Neiting points on the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming.

Debby reported relief of neck tension and no recurring cluster headaches after the first treatment. Patients should reduce computer time and track headache symptoms before and after menstruation.

 Lifestyle

The cause of tension headaches is often related to poor posture. To alleviate this, it is recommended to improve reading and computer habits, take frequent breaks to move around, and avoid extended periods of neck forward posture. The medical community has yet to understand the cause of cluster headaches fully. Still, studies suggest a link to the trigeminal nerve and increased risk from smoking, drinking, and nitroglycerin use. Genetics is also a factor; tracking symptoms over time can help achieve the best possible treatment outcomes.