Acupuncture for Migraines & Headaches

 

When a headache is more than “just a headache”

Migraine can derail an entire day—or several of them.

The pain is only part of it. There may be nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, visual changes, neck tension, fatigue, brain fog or the strange washed-out feeling that can linger even after the worst of the headache has passed.

And if you've been dealing with migraines for years, you've probably gotten very good at organizing your life around the possibility of the next one.

My goal isn't simply to treat you while your head hurts.

I want to understand the pattern of your headaches and work toward making them less frequent, less intense and less disruptive to your life.

 

Migraine isn't the same for everyone

Some people have migraine with aura. Some don't.

Some can identify obvious triggers—stress, sleep disruption, hormonal changes, alcohol, skipped meals, weather or neck tension. Others swear their migraines come out of nowhere.

And sometimes what someone has been calling a “sinus headache” or “tension headache” for years turns out to behave much more like migraine.

That's why treatment begins with your history, not a standard migraine protocol.

I want to know when the headaches started, where you feel them, what happens before and during an attack, what seems to trigger them, what relieves them, how often they occur and what else is happening in your body.

 

How I approach migraine treatment

Acupuncture has been studied as a preventive treatment for migraine, and research suggests that a course of acupuncture can reduce migraine frequency for some people.

In my practice, I combine that evidence with traditional Chinese medicine and what I see clinically.

That may mean treating points associated with headache and pain processing, but it may also mean paying attention to your neck and shoulder muscles, sleep, stress, digestion, menstrual or menopausal changes and other factors that seem to travel with your migraines.

If muscle dysfunction in the neck or shoulders appears to be contributing, I may incorporate motor point acupuncture or electroacupuncture.

If you're in perimenopause or menopause and your migraine pattern has changed along with everything else, that's relevant too.

You don't leave the rest of your body outside the treatment room just because the symptom we're trying to change happens in your head.

 

Acupuncture can work alongside migraine medication

This isn't an either/or proposition.

Many of my migraine patients use medications prescribed by their physicians—whether for prevention or to stop an attack once it begins.

Acupuncture can be used alongside appropriate medical treatment.

I'm not going to tell you to stop a medication that's working, and I'm not going to promise that acupuncture will eliminate your need for medication.

What we're looking for is meaningful change:

Are you having fewer migraine days?

Are the attacks less severe?

Are you recovering more quickly?

Are you reaching for rescue medication less often?

Are migraines interfering with fewer plans?

Those are the outcomes that matter.

 

How many treatments will I need?

Migraine is generally something I treat as a course of care, rather than expecting one acupuncture treatment to permanently change a recurring neurological condition.

Early in treatment, visits are usually closer together so we can establish whether you're responding. As the pattern changes, we reassess and may begin spacing treatments farther apart.

Some patients eventually choose occasional maintenance treatment. Others reach a point where they don't need it.

The treatment plan should respond to what your migraines are actually doing, not to an arbitrary number of visits.

 

When a headache needs medical attention

Most recurring headaches aren't emergencies, but some headaches require prompt medical evaluation.

A sudden, extremely severe headache; a significant change in your usual headache pattern; headache following a head injury; or headache accompanied by new neurological symptoms deserves medical attention rather than simply booking an acupuncture appointment.

And if you've never been properly evaluated for recurring or severe headaches, that's worth doing.

Acupuncture belongs alongside good medical care—not instead of it.

 

You don't have to plan your life around the next migraine.

If migraines or recurring headaches are taking up more space in your life than they should, we can talk about whether acupuncture makes sense as part of your treatment plan.

 

Book an Appointment or Free 15-Minute Consultation

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AB Acupuncture is located inside W72 Wellness at 118 West 72nd Street, between Columbus Avenue and Broadway, on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

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Want to understand more about how migraine works and where acupuncture may fit?

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