
Headache Types
How does it work?
About Headaches & Migranes
Headaches / Migranes are unpleasant pains in your head that can cause pressure and aching. The pain can range from mild to severe, and they usually occur on both sides of your head. Some specific areas where headaches can occur include the forehead, temples, and back of the neck. A headache can last anywhere from 30 minutes to a week
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If you’re someone who often gets headaches or migraines you understand how seriously they can impact your life.
It can often be difficult to think beyond the pounding in your head and finding release from pain becomes a necessity.
They can affect every aspect of someone’s life, including work, school, leisure and social activities. It can also have a big impact on families.
Sometimes they come out of nowhere. Other times they’re tied to a specific trigger. You likely have an idea of what sorts of things cause your headaches. It may be certain foods or the weather. It could be smells, travel, or your hormones.
Tension Headaches
A tension headache (tension-type headache) is the most common type of headache, and yet its causes aren't well understood. Mild to moderate pain in your head that's often described as feeling like a tight band around your head.
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Cluster headaches
Severely painful headaches that occur on one side of the head and come in clusters.
This means you experience cycles of headache attacks, followed by headache-free periods.
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Sinus headaches
Often confused with migraine, sinus headaches co-occur with sinus infection symptoms like fever, stuffy nose, cough, congestion, and facial pressure.
Acupuncture can help in the treatment of migraine by:
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Providing pain relief - by stimulating nerves located in muscles and other tissues, acupuncture leads to release of endorphins and other neurochumoral factors and changes the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord
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Reducing inflammation - by promoting release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors
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Reducing the degree of cortical spreading depression (an electrical wave in the brain associated with migraine) and plasma levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide and substance P (both implicated in the pathophysiology of migraine)
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Modulating extracranial and intracranial blood flow
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Affecting serotonin (5-hydroxytriptamine) levels in the brain