Tal Elias, coordinator of the field of Chinese medicine in general and complementary medicine, explains that the medical treatment for migraine includes a neurological diagnosis and adjustment of drug therapy or biological therapy and recommendations for a supportive lifestyle. Along with medical treatment, you should also try to integrate integrative treatments from the world of Chinese medicine, and here are some reasons for this.
Get to the root of the problem – during a migraine attack, you must provide an answer and a balm that will relieve the pain. The advantage of Chinese medicine in particular, and complementary medicine in general, is the ability and experience to understand why the phenomenon appeared in the first place. Therefore, a significant part of the treatment, especially at the beginning of the process, will be an in-depth diagnosis in the light of Chinese medicine that will try to understand where the internal balance in the body was violated that led to the migraine.
Factors that may lead to migraine outbreaks are: a stressful work environment, high exposure to screens, also emotional crisis situations and stressful personal periods, anger and fear can be a trigger for migraine. An unbalanced diet or increased consumption of high-fat food, dairy products, alcohol and more is also on the black list.
Locating the organs linked to the pain outbreaks – so that the treatment plan can be adjusted, one must first diagnose which organ is suffering from an imbalance – according to Chinese medicine. Blows in the liver meridian (energy path), for example, bring pains on the sides of the head, temples and blurred vision. Hormonal changes lead to migraine attacks in women before or during the menstrual cycle, the pain usually occurs in the early morning or during sleep and is caused according to the Chinese as a result of a lack of blood and qi. Another organ linked to migraine is the stomach, if the weakness is in the stomach we will see a migraine that manifests itself in the front part of the head.
What does the treatment for migraine look like in Chinese medicine?
As mentioned, the treatment will always begin with an in-depth diagnosis to understand what are the causes of the migraine outbreaks, after which a personal treatment plan will be built for each patient, which may include one or more of the following treatment methods:
Acupuncture: Acupuncture using sterile and fine needles on the energy channels in the body to move blood and qi and release blockages (stagnation) in the target organs (liver, stomach, kidneys, etc.) will help the body to release natural anti-pain substances such as serotonin and endorphins.
Tuina: Chinese physiotherapy is a complementary treatment to acupuncture, herbs and dietary adjustments. The Twina is intended to solve accompanying conditions related to Chinese eyes for migraine such as: period pains, sleep problems, muscle pains and more.
Medicinal plants: depending on the diagnosis, it will be possible to customize herbal formulas that will help in the therapeutic process, whether it is plants that help with hormonal balance, or those that balance the activity of the stomach, plants that help in stress and anxiety situations, and more – all customized by the therapist.
Diet adjustments and recommendations: the food we consume may have a multiple effect on the frequency of migraine attacks. You should reduce the consumption of processed and industrialized foods, you should avoid spicy food, chocolate and bananas and excessive consumption of dairy products.
You have developed stress: this is a general recommendation for life, but it is true not only for migraine, but for any other medical condition. The stressful living environment typical of 21st century Israel severely damages the flow of energy in the body and causes an internal heat that rises to the head. Try to reduce stress from your daily life as much as possible and also adopt relaxing methods and activities such as adapted physical activity, yoga or meditation and more.
The series of treatments for migraine sufferers usually takes several months, and a noticeable improvement is expected to be seen already after a few weeks, depending on the severity of the problem with which they come for treatment. From the report of patients, the success is sometimes greater and with the weakening of the migraine, an improvement is also noticed in side effects such as period pains, sleep problems and more.