Migraine is a common neurological disorder that is accompanied by severe headache, nausea and vomiting along with certain visual and sensory distortions. Factors like stress, food allergy, noise and pungent smells are some of the most common triggers of a migraine. Women are three times more prone to getting migraine than men. There are various prescription and non-prescription medicines available in the market to help relieve the symptoms of this disorder but they also have numerous side effects. More and more people are looking for alternative treatment techniques that can help them get rid of a migraine without causing any side effects. One such technique is acupuncture for migraine relief.

How can acupuncture take the place of pain killers?

Treating migraine with the help of painkillers is only effective in the initial stages. After sometime their effect starts to wear off as the body starts to get immune to them and later on in some cases, the painkillers prove to be ineffective in treating a migraine attack. As for acupuncture, it is a safe and natural way to treat migraine and is also more efficient than pain killers.

Acupuncture is an alternative remedy based on a traditional Chinese theory, according to which any type of pain in the body is a definite result of dormant blood in the meridians. The mechanism of acupuncture helps in providing relief from pain, including that of migraine by exciting the acupuncture points which trigger the nervous system and enable it to release endorphins and other pain reliving natural chemicals. Acupuncture is helpful in regulating the circulation of blood, removing stagnation of blood and unblocking the meridians by removing the dormant blood.

Acupuncture is often opted for after the patient has tried all the other usual treatments. Usually, an individual gets relief and observes a significant change in the present condition after four to five acupuncture sessions. Some patients also get instant relief. During the initial stages it is advisable to go for at last two sessions and then gradually bring them down to a single session every week.

Acupuncture and migraine

The exact location of the blockage is confirmed by the part of the body that experiences pain.

Nape and occipital of the neck: Experiencing pain in this region signifies a blockage in the bladder meridian

Forehead: Experiencing pain in this region and above the eyes signifies blockage in the stomach meridian.

Temples: Experiencing pain in this region and on the side of the head signifies blockage in the gall bladder meridian.

Top of the head: Pain in this region signifies blockage in the liver meridian

Migraine is a result of disturbances in the regular flow of the body’s energy. Acupuncture is helpful in treating a migraine since it regularizes and maintains equilibrium in the flow of the body’s flow of energy. Acupuncture is very effective in providing relief from the pain experienced during a migraine attack but this therapy is commonly used as a preventive measure rather than a treatment for migraine.