Headaches and Migraines
Approximately 4% of adults experience headaches nearly every day. Migraine and tension-type headaches are the most common headache disorders. They can result in significant reduction in social activities and work capacity of the sufferers.[1]
Acupuncture has long been one of the main nonpharmacological treatments used for headaches and migraines in Japan and China and is now becoming widely accepted in the west as well. It has demonstrated its effectiveness and advantages in the treatment of many different types of headache disorders, including:
- Migraine
- Episodic or chronic tension type headache
- Cluster headache
- Vascular induced headache
- Drug induced headache
- Supra orbital headache
Treatment with NAOKI HATTORI Traditional Japanese Therapy
The basic philosophy of Traditional Japanese Medicine (TJM) is that sickness should not be understood strictly in terms of the pathology of isolated organs, but rather as the dysfunction of a normally harmonious, complete living entity.
Another one of the core concepts of TJM is that energy systems function as dualities, usually represented as Yin and Yang or fullness and emptiness. The state of being full is called “Jitsu,” which can also mean excessive or overactive. The state of being empty, on the other hand, is called “Kyo,” which can also mean deficient or underactive. Although these two qualities can be viewed as opposites, Jitsu and Kyo are really two sides of the same coin, the same as Yin and Yang.
For treating headaches and migraines, TJM’s methodology is to first identify the specific pattern of disharmony in each patient and provide individualized treatment modalities that don’t just cure the headache, but also reduce the associated symptoms and improve the patient’s quality of life.
The case of Monsieur K
The patient is a 45-year-old male, who sought treatment primarily for headaches and insomnia. When I first saw him, his symptoms also included fatigue and tightness in his neck and shoulders.
For his treatment, I used a combination of Traditional Japanese Acupuncture (TJA) and Shiatsu modalities. His initial sessions were devoted to regulating the upper Jitsu energy around his head with Shiatsu and strengthening his lower Kyo energy with TJA. Both treatments also served to improve his overall Yin / Yang balance. After the first session, his headaches were mostly in remission and he started to sleep well again. Since then, he has continued to have regular treatments with me once every three months and has maintained good mental and physical condition.
Conclusion
Illnesses may be identical, but the people who have them are different.
Xu Dachun
Treatment based on TJM is primarily focused on correcting the deep-seated causes of a chronic illness. As such, for dealing with headaches and migraines, no one treatment is the same for every patient.
It is only by delicately checking the imbalance of the patient’s Qi and applying the most appropriate treatment for each condition that effective results can be achieved.
If you suffer from headaches or migraines, but have not tried this type of therapy before, it might be a good time for you to consider our treatment system, based on Traditional Japanese Therapy.
– References –
- Woolhouse M (2005) Migraine and tension headache A complementary and alternative medicine approach. Aust Fam Physician 34: 647 651
Credit; Qigong exercise to treat dizziness : Wellcome Collection. Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)