That pounding in your head has a story to tell - Headaches, Migraines and Acupuncture
Headaches, migraines and acupuncture - Chinese Medicine, Bayside, Sandringham
Your headache is not just a headache - Acupuncture Sandringham
So, you reach for the Ibuprofen, again. It takes the edge off temporarily, but tomorrow the pain rears it’s ugly head again. Same spot, same time, same relentless throb or dull ache. Does this ring any bells for you?
For many women, headaches and migraines are an exhausting fact of life, often flaring at particular times in their menstrual cycle, after a stressful week, or seemingly out of nowhere. In Chinese Medicine, a headache is never considered just a headache. Rather, it is a signal, and where it resides in your head tells us a great deal about what is driving it.
Location, location, location
According to Chinese Medicine theory, (known as channels or meridians). This complex mapping system has been refined over thousands of years from clinical observation.
Forehead and above the eyes - linked to the Stomach and Spleen, both digestive organs. Often associated with irregular meals, blood sugar fluctuations, or Damp accumulation.
Temples and sides of head - the territory of the Liver and Gall Bladder channels. This often looks like classic stress or hormonal headaches, and migraines often occur here too.
Top of the head (vertex) - this area is governed by the Liver channel, which travels all the way to the crown or vertex of the head. This type is common in women with a deficiency in Liver Blood, often worsening around period time.
Base of the neck and back of the head - this is the domain of the Bladder channel and Kidney energy. These headaches are frequently linked to exhaustion, depletion and sometimes at the onset of a cold or flu.
Behind the eyes - the eyes are linked to the Liver organ, so often illustrates Liver involvement, especially when accompanied by light sensitivity, stress or hormonal fluctuations.
So as you can see, the location, quality, timing, intensity and triggers of your headaches are all crucial diagnostic clues for a Chinese Medicine Practitioner. They form part of a bigger picture as to what is occurring in the body, before any treatment even begins.
Why women in particular? or
Hormonal fluctuations are one of the most common headache trigger in women, and Chinese Medicine has a framework to understand why. When Liver Blood is depleted through heavy periods, chronic stress, poor nourishment, insufficient sleep or simply the relentless pace of modern life, the Liver loses it’s ability to move Qi smoothly throughout the body. This results in stagnation, and stagnation in the head results in pain.
Perimenopausal women, new mothers, women under sustained pressure and teenagers are particularly vulnerable. If your headaches cluster around ovulation, your period, or times of high stress, this pattern may well be at play.
What the research tells us
Research into acupuncture for headaches and migraines has grown considerably in recent years. According to Chinese Medicine theory, acupuncture is understood to regulate Qi and Blood flow, reduce stagnation, and restore balance to the organ systems involved. Emerging clinical evidence supports its use as a form of supportive care:
A Cochrane review by Linde, et al. (2016) researching acupuncture for tension headache prevention, found it compared favourably to prophylactic medications and was a valuable option for patients wishing to undertake this treatment.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Tan et al., (2025), published in The Journal of Pain Research, examined 23 Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) involving 2,295 patients and found that in comparison to sham acupuncture, real acupuncture reduced migraine duration, decreased frequency of attacks, and reduced overall migraine days. Quality of life score also improved significantly in the acupuncture group compared to both sham and pharmacological treatment.
What can help day to day?
Stay hydrated - even mild dehydration can contribute to headaches springing up
Eat regularly - skipped meals are a surprisingly common headache trigger, especially with Stomach or Liver imbalance patterns
Manage stress - Liver Qi Stagnation thrives on a packed schedule and no downtime
Track your headaches - timing, location, triggers and stage of your cycle reveal a great deal
Rest your eyes - screen fatigue directly taxes the Liver in Chinese Medicine theory, which governs the eyes
Your head is trying to tell you something
Reaching for pain relief is understandable, but if headaches are a regular fixture in your week, you deserve more than a temporary fix. Understanding the pattern behind them is where lasting change begins.
If you are a woman or teen in Bayside Melbourne, whose head has had enough, we would love to help. Book an appointment at www.embracecm.com.au/bookings or click the Appointments button above.
References:
Linde, K., Allais, G., Brinkhaus, B., Fei, Y., Mehring, M., Shin, B. C., Vickers, A., & White, A. R. (2016). Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007587.pub2
Tan, Y., Zhao, X., He, Y., Wu, C., Luo, Y., Lan, C., & Zheng, H. (2025). Acupuncture improves migraine and quality of life in patients with migraine: A Systeatic Review with meta-analysis. Journal of Pain Research, 18, 239-253. https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S494203