The 3 types of headache you should be treating with acupuncture

Do you suffer from headaches? Are they impacting on your quality of life? If they are then you’re not alone. Massive numbers of people around the world experience some sort of headache every day! The question I would like to answer for you here today is ‘what are the 3 types of headaches that can be effectively treated using acupuncture?’

If you prefer, check the video out here

Types of headache

According to The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3^rd edition¹, there are 14 types of headache, with 86 subtypes and 153 sub-forms under that. Now that’s a staggering number isn’t it. Luckily, all headaches can be classified into 3 categories:

Primary headaches (4 types);

Secondary headaches (8 types); and

Painful cranial neuropathies, other facial pain and other headaches (2 types).

“Acupuncture is considered effective for

3 of the most common types of headache”

With all the sub types and sub-forms of headaches, it can get a bit confusing! The good news is, acupuncture is considered effective for 3 of the most common types of headache ^2-8. These headaches are:

Chronic tension headaches;

Frequent episodic headaches; and

Migraines.

Chronic tension and frequent episodic headaches

Chronic tension headaches and frequent episodic headaches are similar types of headaches. They are very common, with as many as 78% of the population experiencing symptoms at some time in their life¹². For some, these types of headache have a significant impact on their quality of life. These people will be pleased to know that the latest research confirms that acupuncture is effective for both chronic tension type headaches and frequent episodic headache.

“Acupuncture is safe, long-lasting and cost effective for migraine prevention”

Migraines

Migraines are ranked the third most common disorder in the world⁹. They are also the third highest cause of disability among men and women under the age of 50 around the world¹⁰. Now, that is a lot of people experiencing a poor quality of life isn’t it? Not only that, when you can’t work cause of pain, migraines also mean a lot of people are taking significant hits on personal and family economics. The good news is that acupuncture is considered a ‘safe, long-lasting and cost effective’ treatment for migraine prevention¹¹.

What to do about your headaches and migraines

If headaches or migraines are getting you down. If they are negatively impacting on your quality of life and affecting your ability to work or have fun with your family, then you really should consider popping into your local acupuncturists and having a chat about the benefits of acupuncture.

“AAC has developed ‘best practice’ treatment practices for the

management of a wide variety of headaches”

If you are in the Geelong area, you might want to visit the Australian Acupuncture Centre. We have been helping people recover from headaches and migraines for the last 2.5 decades and we have had loads of experience managing the 3 most common types of headaches. We get a real kick out of reducing people’s suffering and have developed world-class treatment practices for the management of a wide variety of headache types. Our treatment plans for chronic tension headaches, episodic headaches and migraine prevention are ‘Best Practice’ and are based on a synthesis of ancient knowledge and the latest acupuncture and Chinese medicine research. The best thing is that our treatment plans are tailored made for you and your particular presentation.
Not only are we your local acupuncture experts, at AAC we get excited about the difference we can make in people’s lives every time a headache or migraine case walks through our doors.
If you want to learn more about how acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help you beat your headaches and migraines, then please give us a call, drop us an email or book an appointment online now. We’d love to help you.

“AAC are your local acupuncture experts”

Contact details

0352 981 213

info@australianacupuncturecentre.com.au

Book online

Click here to view video titled ‘Do You Get Headaches or Migraines?’

References

1. https://www.ichd-3.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-International-Classification-of-Headache-Disorders-3rd-Edition-2018.pdf sited 20.09.18
2. Biotext. Alternative therapies and Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold and White Card arrangements. In: Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs, editor: Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs; 2010.
3. Hempel S, Taylor SL, Solloway MR, Miake-Lye IM, Beroes JM, Shanman R, et al. VA Evidence-based Synthesis Program Reports. Evidence Map of Acupuncture. Washington (DC): Department of Veterans Affairs; 2014
4. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, Fei Y, Mehring M, Shin BC, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016; 4:Cd007587.
5. Coeytaux RR, Befus D. Role of Acupuncture in the Treatment or Prevention of Migraine, Tension-Type Headache, or Chronic Headache Disorders. Headache. 2016 Jul;56(7):1238-40.
6. Da Silva AN. Acupuncture for migraine prevention. Headache. 2015 Mar;55(3):470-3.
7. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, Fei Y, Mehring M, Vertosick EA, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016(6):Cd001218.
8. Yang Y, Que Q, Ye X, Zheng G. Verum versus sham manual acupuncture for migraine: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Acupunct Med. 2016 Apr;34(2):76-83.
9. https://www.ichd-3.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-International-Classification-of-Headache-Disorders-3rd-Edition-2018.pdf sited 20.09.18
10. https://www.ichd-3.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-International-Classification-of-Headache-Disorders-3rd-Edition-2018.pdf sited 20.09.18
11. Da Silva AN. Acupuncture for migraine prevention. Headache. 2015 Mar;55(3):470-3
12. https://www.ichd-3.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/The-International-Classification-of-Headache-Disorders-3rd-Edition-2018.pdf sited 20.09.18
13. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, Fei Y, Mehring M, Shin BC, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016; 4:Cd007587.