A headache is a very common symptom that everyone will experience at some point in their life. Pain that ‘pierces’ the head, ringing ears, intense discomfort – headaches take many forms.
Headache: TENSION-TYPE HEADACHE
Tension-type headache presents with attacks of moderate headache that spreads throughout the head and is the most common form of primary headache. Very often, headache of the tension type is associated with anxiety and depression.
MIGRAINE
Migraine is a brain disorder that presents with attacks of headache and accompanying symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, smells and sounds, and worsening pain with movement. Migraine is therefore not simply a headache.
The pain caused by migraine can sometimes become unbearable, and those who experience it state with certainty that few forms of pain can compare with it.
MIGRAINE AURA
Sometimes, shortly before an attack, various pulsating shapes or colours may appear in the eyes. This is the so-called migraine aura, which precedes the headache in 1/5 of people with migraine and may last up to an hour. In addition to visual field disturbances, migraine aura may involve numbness in the face or one arm, as well as difficulty expressing oneself.
CLUSTER HEADACHE / Headache
Cluster headache is a brain disorder that presents with attacks of very severe periorbital headache (around one eye) and accompanying symptoms, including tearing, a drooping eyelid, conjunctival erythema (redness of the eye), a runny nose and periorbital numbness.
It is called cluster headache because the attacks cluster together in periods lasting from weeks to a few months. They then disappear completely, returning after an unspecified interval in exactly the same way. The pain caused by cluster headache is usually unbearable. It is much more intense even than migraine.
IS THERE A TREATMENT?
Researchers have found that acupuncture offers significant benefits in preventing headaches, migraine and cephalalgia, and in improving patients’ quality of life.
Since 1976, the World Health Organization has included acupuncture among medical treatments and has even compiled a list of diseases it can treat. Acupuncture has been shown to be beneficial.
After reviewing controlled clinical studies on acupuncture, the FDA concluded that it is effective in managing chronic pain.
At the specialised Euiasis practice, specific acupuncture and EU-LLLT acupuncture protocols are applied, based on each patient’s history, age and individual characteristics.
Following a series of clinical examinations that we carry out, the Euiasis specialist physician informs you about the cause and the management protocol that will need to be applied.
How do acupuncture and EU-LLLT acupuncture work?
- Relieves pain
- Reduces inflammation
- Reduces the degree of cortical spreading depression
- Regulates extracranial and intracranial blood flow.
- Affects serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) levels in the brain.
Because LLLT has a highly stimulating effect on cells and tissues, it is also called biostimulating or biostimulatory LLLT.
References
- Molsberger A. The role of acupuncture in the treatment of migraine. CMAJ. 2012 Mar 6;184(4):391-2.
- Gelfand AA, Goadsby PJ. The Role of Melatonin in the Treatment of Primary Headache Disorders. Headache. 2016 Sep;56(8):1257-66.
- Riggins N, Ehrlich A. Episodic Migraine and Older Adults. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2022 Apr;26(4):331-335.
Headache types and migraine overview
Intensity is not the only feature of a headache. Frequency, duration and accompanying symptoms add to the description.
For a description of the method, see Medical Acupuncture Methods. Related reading: Chronic Pain and Complementary Management.
Questions about headaches
Is every severe headache a migraine?
Intensity alone does not establish a diagnosis. The pattern and accompanying symptoms are assessed in an appropriate clinical context.
What can a headache diary record?
It can record the start, duration and location of an episode, accompanying symptoms and medication used. Frequency over time helps make the discussion with the treating clinician more precise.