Yin Yang House | Acupuncture for Headaches - Treatment Protocols General Approaches

Acupuncture For Headaches - Treatment Protocols

Acupuncture treatment protocols are generally directed towards the deeper root of a persons set of health issues, not at each individual issue. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, treatment is generally directed towards the individuals diagnostic pattern(s) and their primary issue is only a part of the information required to approach the correct patterns to treat (see "treating the cause vs. the symptoms" for an introduction to this process.).

In designing an acupuncture protocol for headache, one might find one or a combination of the following patterns: blood stagnation, kidney yang deficiency, liver fire, liver qi stagnation, liver yang rising, lung wind invasion - wind cold, lung wind invasion - wind heat, phlegm stagnation among many other possibilities and possible combinations.

Below you will find some of the more common tcm diagnoses and acupuncture treatment protocols for headaches and related conditions such as migraines. There are many ways to approach the treatment of this condition within TCM. Our presentation describes foundational approaches that would need to be further tailored in most cases to be effective for a given individual.

Headaches may be diagnosed generally by looking at the nature of the pain, what makes the pain better or worse and the location of the pain. If the pain is dull it is likely from deficiency, whereas sharp pain is likely from excess. If the pain is better with rest it is likely from deficiency, whereas if it is improved with movement it is likely from stagnation. Locating which channels are near the pain, ST, GB, etc. will also aid in the selection of proper treatment points.

Etiology & Pathology:
- Differentiation:
  - General Treatment Points by Location:
  - Eyebrows - UB 2
  - Frontal - ST 8, ST 44, GV 23, GB 14 a/or Taiyang
  - Occipital - UB 10, GV 19 a/or SI 3
  - Temple - TH 5, GB 8, GB 41 a/or Taiyang
  - Vertex - GV 20, SI 3, UB 67, UB 7 a/or LV 3
  - External Factors:
  - Wind Cold
  - Wind Heat
  - Wind Damp
  - Excess Internal Conditions:
  - LV Yang Rising - primarily from emotional factors, may also be related to diets with greasy foods a/or alcohol, or excessive sexual activity.
  - LV Fire - progression of LV yang rising.
  - Phlegm Turbidity - primarily from phlegm excesses usually resulting from consistiently poor dietary habits.
  - Blood Stagnation - usually resulting from trauma.
  - Deficient Internal Conditions:
  - Qi Deficiency - primarily from overwork mentally a/or physically.
  - Blood Deficiency - primarily after long term illnesses where the body has been weakened.
  - KD Deficiency - primarily from old age or excessive sexual activity.
- Wind Cold - Excess
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Distending/pulling sensation in the head, may be tight in the posterior aspect of the head, common wind cold symptoms such as chills, stuffy nose a/or body aches, may arise due to allergies in the spring or during the change of seasons.
    
    Tongue: Thin white coat
    
    Pulse: Floating, tight
  - Treatment Points:
    
    Valaskatagis Point Selection:
    
    GB 20 - clear wind
    
    GV 16 - clear wind
    
    UB 12 - wind shu
    
    LU 7 - clear wind, command point of head and posterior neck
    
    Consider cupping for to release wind cold
    
    Consider locational points as described above
    
    St. John Point Selection:
    
    Same as above plus:
    
    LI 4 - release exterior wind/wind-cold
    
    UB 10 - release the exterior for wind cold
- Wind Heat - Excess
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Distending or "splitting" headache, heat signs such as red face a/or eyes, fever, thirst.
    
    Tongue: Red, possibly w/thin yellow coat
    
    Pulse: Floating, fast
  - Treatment Points:
    
    Valaskatagis Point Selection:
    
    LI 4 - clear heat, release exterior
    
    LI 11 - clear heat
    
    GV 14 - release the exterior, clear heat
    
    Consider locational points as described above
    
    St. John Point Selection:
    
    Same as above plus:
    
    GB 20 - clear wind from head
    
    GV 16 - clear wind from head
    
    TH 5 - release the exterior, clear the head
- Wind Damp - Excess
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Sensation of a "towel wrapped around the head", heavy body, poor appetite, may have chest oppression
    
    Tongue: Greasy coat
    
    Pulse: Soft, slippery
  - Treatment Points:
    
    Valaskatagis Point Selection:
    
    GV 20 - clear the head
    
    CV 12 - ST Mu
    
    UB 20 - SP Shu
    
    ST 36 - tonify ST/SP
    
    ST 40 - resolve dampness
    
    GB 20 - clear wind from head
    
    Consider locational points as described above
- LV Yang Rising - Excess Internal
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Severe headache usually worse in the afternoon, may be pulsing a/or accompanied by the appearance of blue veins on the forehead or temples, headache is usually bilateral although it may be one sided, pain may worsen if lying down, patient may have a quick temper, irritability, bitter taste in the mouth, red face, constipation. May also effect the ST leading to nausea a/or vomiting.
    
    Tongue: Red w/thin yellow coat
    
    Pulse: Wiry and rapid or forceful
  - Treatment Points:
    
    Valaskatagis & St. John Point Selection:
    
    LV 3 - resolve LV stagnation
    
    SP 6 - tonify the yin
    
    KD 3 - tonify the yin
    
    GB 4 - headache
    
    GB 20 - descend the Qi from the head
    
    GB 43 - clear heat from the GB channel
    
    Taiyang - headache
    
    If ST involvement - PC 6, GB 34, CV 12 a/or ST 36
- LV Fire - Excess Internal
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Further progression of LV Yang Rising but with a worse headache and stronger heat signs, red face, strong anger, possibly shouting.
    
    Tongue: Red w/yellow coat, red sides possible
    
    Pulse: Wiry and rapid or forceful
  - Treatment Points:
    
    St. John Point Selection:
    
    LV 2 - clear LV fire
    
    SP 6 - tonify yin
    
    GB 20 - descend the Qi from the head
    
    Taiyang - headache
    
    For strong emotional involvements - PC 8
- Phlegm Turbidity - Excess Internal
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Headache with strong sensation of heaviness, pain is worse in damp weather, may experience dizziness, may also have other phlegm signs such as fullness in the chest a/or epigastric area, nausea, vomiting of watery mucus.
    
    Tongue: Greasy white coat
    
    Pulse: Slippery
  - Treatment Points:
    
    St. John Point Selection:
    
    ST 8 - clear head
    
    ST 36 - tonify ST/SP
    
    ST 40 - resolve phlegm
    
    GV 20 - allow clear yang to rise to the head
    
    CV 12 - ST Mu
    
    Yintang - clear head
- Blood Stagnation - Excess Internal
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Usually the result of a trauma, headache that is fixed in location with very strong a/or drilling-type pain, may be worse at night.
    
    Tongue: Purple possible w/purple a/or dark red spots
    
    Pulse: Choppy or wiry
  - Treatment Points:
    
    Valaskatagis Point Selection:
    
    SP 6 - move Blood
    
    SP 10 - move Blood
    
    UB 17 - hui meeting of the Blood
    
    Consider locational points as described above
- Qi Deficiency - Deficient Internal
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Headache that is consistient and dull, may involve the whole head or the frontal area, worsens with overwork or other mental a/or physical stressors, poor appetite and fatigue.
    
    Tongue: Pale w/thin white coat
    
    Pulse: Weak
  - Treatment Points:
    
    St. John Point Selection:
    
    SP 6 - tonify ST/SP
    
    ST 36 - tonify ST/SP
    
    CV 6 - tonify Qi
    
    GV 20 - raise the Qi to the head
    
    UB 20 - SP Shu
    
    Consider locational points as described above
- Blood Deficiency - Deficient Internal
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Headache that worsens with exertion, improves with rest, pain may be dull in nature with an empty feeling in the head, palpitations, insomnia, poor memory, pale complexion, dry skin possible, in women this type of headache may be worse after their period.
    
    Tongue: Pale
    
    Pulse: Thin, weak
  - Treatment Points:
    
    Valaskatagis & St. John Point Selection:
    
    UB 17 - hui meeting of the Blood
    
    UB 18 - LV Shu
    
    UB 20 - SP Shu
    
    UB 23 - KD Shu
    
    ST 36 - tonify ST/SP
    
    SP 6 - tonify SP
    
    GV 20 - raise the Qi to the head
- Kidney Deficiency - Deficient Internal
  - Signs & Symptoms:
    
    Empty feeling in head, weak low back a/or knees, fatigue.
    
    Tongue: Pale (if more Yang def), Red w/little coat (if more Yin def)
    
    Pulse: Deep, empty, may be thready if more Yin def)
  - Treatment Points:
    
    Valaskatagis Point Selection:
    
    KD 3 - tonify KD
    
    CV 4 - tonify KD
    
    GV 20 - raise the Qi to the head
    
    ST 36 - tonify Qi
    
    UB 23 - KD Shu

The information on our site is drawn from our own lecture notes and clinical experience. The following lecture notes were consulted within this section:

St. John, Meredith: New England School of Acupuncture, Etiology and Pathology Lecture Notes
Valaskatgis, Peter: New England School of Acupuncture, Etiology and Pathology Lecture Notes

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