This is a common question that I’m asked in my acupuncture clinics in Brentwood, Chelmsford and Leigh on Sea.
According to the news agency Reuters ‘half of adults worldwide suffer from headache disorders such as migraines and tension headaches’ with migraine affecting ‘1 in 6 women and 1 in 12 men ‘ and yet headache disorders are ‘widely under-recognised, under-diagnosed snd under-treated.’
Migraine can be defined as a headache disorder with throbbing head pain, often one sided and with recurring attacks lasting 4-72 hours, sometimes accompanied by nausea or vomiting and sensitivity to light or sound.
Conventional treatment is usually by over the counter or prescribed medication. However the cause is often left untreated and so the headaches/ migraines tend to keep returning.
Following extensive research, NICE ( National Institute for Clinical Excellence) which is the advisory body to the NHS, now recommends Acupuncture for ‘tension headaches and migraines.’
How does acupuncture work?
Acupuncture, which is a holistic therapy developed 2500 years ago in China, is based on the view that health is dependent on a free flow of energy (Qi) around the entire person. When this flow gets interrupted, health problems can develop. Acupuncture, using very fine needles inserted into selected points along energy pathways, aims to bring the patient’s system back into balance and address the root cause of the problem.
Here’s an example of what patients say:
Migraines
‘I was recommended to try acupuncture by a friend. I have been a sufferer of severe debilitating migraines for 51 years but with acupuncture I now have them under control. The relief I have been given is something I have never known. I now have a life ‘
Tension headaches
‘I used to get a headache each day, sometimes twice a day, and tried medication from the GP and reflexology without success. Friends suggested I try acupuncture which I did and the headaches decreased to the point that in the last two months, I am pleased to say, I’ve only had 2 headaches.’
Derek Climpson has acupuncture clinics in Brentwood, Chelmsford and Leigh on sea.