Say Goodbye to Headaches
Headaches affect over 4.9 million Australians each year, with women more likely than men to experience recurring pain.
Many people are handed a script or told to just manage it with pain killers or anti-inflammatory medication. That’s frustrating! Especially when the headache start to chip away at your focus, mood, sleep and energy.
If you’ve tried everything but nothing sticks… you’re not alone! With Chinese Medicine, we look deeper. Instead of masking the pain, we get to the root cause of problem, helping you to rebalance your system from the inside out.
Western Medicine Perspective
From a biomedical lens, headaches are classified into different types including:
Tension-type
Migraine
Cluster headache
Sinus headache
Medication-overuse headache
Symptoms, intensity and frequency vary depending on the type of headache.
Treatment typically involves pain relief medication, preventative medications or lifestyle changes.
These approaches may provide short term relief but they don’t always address the underlying cause.
TCM Perspective
In TCM, headaches are seen as a sign your body is out of balance. We don’t just look at where the pain is, we look at why its there and how it changes over time.
TCM Cause of Headaches
Headaches can arise from both internal and external influences. External causes include exposure to wind, common cold or virus, or heat. Internal causes include emotional stress, over-work or over use or constitutional weakness. Any of these factors can disrupt the flow of Qi and Blood leading to imbalances across different organ systems.
Location matters
Where you feel your headache is just as important as how it feels. In TCM, the location of a headache gives us important clues about meridians and organ systems are involved.
Let’s look at what the location tells us:
Forehead (Stomach and Large Intestine)
Dull or intense pain here often relates to digestion or over thinking. You can notice your headache worsens with stress or irregular eating habits.
Temples (Gallbladder and San Jiao) Throbbing, tight or radiating pain on the sides often point to stress, anger or hormone imbalances.
Top of the head (Liver) Pain at the crown is often linked to blood or Yin deficiency, especially those who are stressed or burnt out or recovering from chronic illness.
Back of Head and Neck (Bladder) This is common for tension or weather-related headaches.
Whole head or migrating pain If your headache moves around or affects your whole head, it may point to internal wind or Qi and Blood deficiency.
Understanding the location helps us to find the root cause, not just temporary relief
Acupuncture Points
Acupuncture is one of the most effective natural ways to reduce headache frequency and intensity. These are some common points we use in clinic to support your unique presentation:
🌿 Taiyang - dispels wind, alleviates pain, clears heat
🌿 Yintang - calms the mind, relieves sinus type headache
🌿 Fengchi (GB 20) - relieve tension, clears wind
🌿 Hegu (LI 4) - relieve stagnation, strong point for any type of head pain
Chinese Herbal Medicine
Customised herbs help to target the root cause of the headaches. Here are some common herbs we use in the clinic:
🌿 Chai Hu (Burpleurum) - Soothe Liver Qi for stress and hormonal headaches
🌿 Chuan Xiong (Rhizoma Ligustici) - improve blood circulation, alleviate pain
🌿 Bai Zhi (Angelica Dahurica) - clears wind and opens sinuses
🌿 Tian Ma (Gastrodia rhizome) - calms Liver wind, used for migraines and vertigo
Self-Care Tips for Headaches
Here are a few simple routines you can incorporate to help manage headaches naturally:
🌙 Drink warm liquids if you’re prone to tension or cold-type headaches
🌙 Gentle Acupressure to He Gu (LI 4) for 5 minutes to help more stagnation
🌙 Cover your neck with a scarf to prevent external wind or cold invasion
🌙 Warm cup of Chrysanthemum tea to clear heat and eye strain
Ready to Feel Clear-Headed Again?
Those headaches are a sign that your body needs support. You don’t have to manage your pain alone. At Luna Chinese Medicine, we offer personalised treatments to help relieve pain, calm your nervous system and restore balance from within.
If you need support to say goodbye to persistent headaches, call us on (08) 6285 7529 or book your consultation online today.
