Tension headaches are incredibly frustrating. They are the most common type of headache, caused by muscle tension and stress.
While a migraine comes with nausea, vomiting, and/or sensitivity to light, a tension headache doesn’t come with these symptoms. A tension headache occurs on both sides of the head and is a steady ache rather than a throbbing. They occur often and are very uncomfortable but, fortunately, when it comes to migraine relief and tension headaches, acupuncture can help.
How You Can Help Tension Headaches
Most people end up reaching for over-the-counter pain medicine for tension headaches. Although these might work for a headache here and there, chronic headaches are another problem altogether.
Chronic headaches happen more frequently and impact a person’s quality of life. If you have tension headaches occurring for 10 or more days per month, you fit into this category. The remedies often are targeted at trying to reduce the severity of the symptoms but what acupuncture can do is reduce their frequency.
How Acupuncture Works
Acupuncture is a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. Acupuncture has been in use for over 3,000 years.
An acupuncture session involves a trained practitioner who inserts thin needles through the skin into specific areas of the body. There are many different types of needles, or acupuncture needles, for practitioners use.
There is a specific map of where to put the needles that correlate to what’s being treated. An acupuncture session is painless and it’s likely you won’t feel anything at all. Many people don’t. Then, after treatment which lasts 15-30 minutes, you’ll notice the benefits.
Acupuncture has been shown to be effective with lower back pain relief, fibromyalgia, allergic rhinitis, anxiety, and several different types of headaches. Although you may notice a difference after your first treatment, it is common to see the greatest benefits after repeated weekly acupuncture sessions.
What Does The Science Say?
A recent study at the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine uncovered that acupuncture lowered the frequency of chronic tension headaches by 50% on average. Although more research needs to be done, this is promising data that shows that acupuncture could potentially be one of the better therapeutics available for tension headaches.
There is also a lot of research that’s been done into the connection between TCM acupuncture and migraine headaches. Migraines are less common but they’re more intense and extremely debilitating. Acupuncture has been successful at reducing nausea and helping with extreme sensitivity to light.
As it relates specifically to tension headaches, if other medications or treatments have proven ineffective as they are in so many cases, acupuncture may be a therapeutic that can reduce how many headaches you’re dealing with on a monthly basis.
Lierre.ca is a leader in acupuncture supplies and high-quality acupuncture needles. As acupuncture continues to be studied for use in tension headaches, for migraine relief, and more, we look forward to helping practitioners continue to practice with the best supplies. Shop with Lierre.ca today. Our Black Friday Sale 2022 will start soon, don’t miss out!
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