Acute patterns
Full patterns. By attack of external pathogenic energy. Sudden onset and acute pain.
Wind-Cold
Cold wind congests, obstructs the channels. Wind tends to attack the upper part of the body, headache is common.
- Symptoms
- Pain in the whole head, involves the nape, occipital and back (Tai yang)
- Very intense pain, with tightness (cold has constricting nature)
- Generalized body pain (sometimes), like body aches.
- Absence of thirst
- Superficial and tight pulse (somewhat tense)
- Tongue with white coating
- Treatment.
- Common points: GB-20, LI-4 + LU-7 (disperse pathogenic energy and treat head), GV-20
- GV-16
- Moxibustion GV-14, BL-12
- TE-5
Wind-Heat
- Symptoms
- Headache with feeling of distension, as if the head is going to explode
- Usually located only on left or right side of the head (shao yang is more sensitive to heat and tai yang is more sensitive to cold)
- Aversion to heat and wind
- Red face, congested eyes
- Red ear (sometimes)
- Thirst
- Dark urine
- Superficial, rapid pulse
- Tongue may be red
- Treatment.
- Common points: GB-20, LI-4 + LU-7 (disperse pathogenic energy and treat head), GV-20
- LI-11, GV-14, Tai Yang
Dampness
- Symptoms
- Pain with feeling of heaviness, as if wearing a helmet (wrapped in a turban).
- May predominate in the frontal part or in the whole head.
- Qi movement obstructed by dampness: oppression, distension...
- Pasty stools
- Scanty urine
- Tongue with greasy and thick coating
- Slippery or soft pulse
- Treatment.
- Common points: GB-20, LI-4 + LU-7 (disperse pathogenic energy and treat head), GV-20
- ST-40 (luo, ends at GV-20)
- if there is distension add SP-9
- GV-12
Chronic patterns
When there are chronic headaches there are normally internal causes
Qi and Blood deficiency
Without nourishment there is pain
- Dull pain, not very intense
- Pain is triggered throughout the day as the body becomes exhausted (physical or mental effort)
- Pain normally frontal, supra-orbital.
- Pain relieves with pressure (BL-2 or the temples)
- Contractures due to Blood deficiency
- Symptoms of Qi and Blood deficiency: weakness, lack of appetite, lack of concentration, palpitations
- Fine, weak pulse
- Pale tongue, white coating
- Treatment
Raise Qi and Blood, tonify Spleen and energy. Calm pain. GV-20, Si Shen Cong 4 points
Obstruction by impure Phlegm (Phlegm-Dampness)
- Causes
- The weak Spleen does not perform its transport and transformation function
- Dietary imbalance
- 7 passions, emotions (can weaken or block the Spleen)
- Very humid environment where one lives
Phlegm is ethereal and very mobile, it likes to accumulate in the orifices. The head is the Pure Orifice and is the place Phlegm prefers.
- Symptoms
- Pain with dizziness, Vertigo
- Tongue is very pale, like melted cheese
- Tense and slippery pulse
- Treatment
Qi Stagnation
See: Liver-Qi Stagnation
- Symptoms
- Headache with feeling of distension
- Located on one side or in the supraciliar region
- Fluctuates with mood, emotional state (depression, nervousness, irritability, ...)
- Oppression, sighing, ... odorless gas (Liver-Qi stagnation)
- Lack of appetite
- Tense pulse
- Normal tongue
- Treatment
Ascending of Liver-Yang
- Symptoms
- Very intense pain (migraine)
- Throbbing pain, lateral, of vertex, or both
- Dizziness
- Muscle tightness
- Very irritable, angry and nervous mood
- Bitter mouth, insomnia or very abundant dreams with nightmares
- Red tongue
- Tense and rapid pulse
- Treatment
- GB-20 + Tai Yang
- GB-43 + TE-2 (Ying-Spring Water points to extinguish fire)
- ST-41
- LR-2, LR-3
- PC-7
- LI-5
Insufficiency of the Sea of Marrow (Nao Shui)
The brain is the sea of marrow and is nourished by Kidney. Normally the headache is not the most important symptom, normally there is something more serious that is the reason for consultation.
- Cause
- Major exhaustion
- Congenital deficiency
- Aging
- Symptoms
- Pain with feeling of empty head
- Dizziness, instability, vertigo, insomnia, tinnitus, lower back weakness
- Symptoms of Yang deficiency (sensitive to cold, urination, weakness,...) or of Yin (insomnia, heat in the 5 orifices, fine and rapid pulse, ...) of K
- Treatment
Nourish Jing to fill the sea of marrow
If Yang deficiency:
Yin deficiency:
Blood Stasis
Trauma, blows and falls can cause blood stagnation.
- Symptoms
- Fixed and stabbing pain, like a stab wound
- Long-term: memory loss
- Bad weather and night sometimes worsen the pain
- Tongue: cyanotic spots
- Pulse: tense and rough
- Treatment
- Bleed the Ashi points
- Bleed Tai Yang (it's a bit excessive...)
- LI-4
- Remove stasis, moving the blood: BL-17, SP-10, SP-6
- Head points: we all palpate, needling all Ashi
- All Luo points to improve microcirculation (in relation to the area involved)
Regions of the head
- Tai Yang
- Shao Yang
- Yang Ming
- Jue Yin
Tai Yang
If the pain concentrates in Tai Yang, the whole head or say the pain starts in the occipital. Pain with stiffness. Tai Yang is prone to attack of Wind-Cold.
Points:
Shao Yang
Shao Yang is the temporal area, the sides of the head. Related to hemicranial pain.
Treatment:
- TE-5 , GB-41 Yang Wei Mai
- GB-43, GB-40, TE-23
- TE-23, toward GB-8
- GB-39, GB-20
- With Liver etiology add LU-7
Yang Ming
The frontal part of the head: face, forehead, between the eyebrows.
Treatment:
Jue Yin
The vertex or crown, the highest part of the head. Communicates with Liver.
Treatment: