Acupuncture is good not only for headache, but for various types of migraine auras, AND for preventing migraines. Also, you can use points I'll suggest below to give yourself acupressure at home for free!

Acupuncture and migraine treatment, like all acupuncture, is based on principles and theories of Chinese medicine. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, causes are emotional excesses (stress, long-term emotional disturbance, even just long-term frustration!), dietary imbalance (too much of wrong foods and too little of right ones), and deficiencies inherent in aging process can lead to symptoms of migraine.

Acupuncture points may be different for acute attacks, and for prevention. There is acupuncture to treat, for example, a one-sided headache, and then a slightly different acupuncture to treat susceptibility to stress that causes it.

Acupuncture - The Pain "Reset Button" A neurologist told us in a guest lecture at my alma mater, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, that acupuncture is best therapy for chronic pain. He said that chronic pain signals can get 'grooved in' to brain. That means that even after real problem has been totally eliminated, brain may still be "echoing" pain signals to us. This fits with Oliver Sach’s observation that migraine is like a neurological configuration or ‘frame of mind’ or arrangement that migraineur keeps falling into.

Acupuncture can act as a 'reset button' to end these echoes of pain. The sooner you get acupuncture, better, because longer pain is there, more difficult it is to change.

In Chinese Medicine, we diagnose each patient according to what is called a pattern of imbalance, a group of symptoms. There are 5 basic patterns involved in migraines, but real people are complex and may have several patterns going on at same time.

Let’s take a look at acupuncture and migraine in terms of 5 patterns mentioned by Bob Flaws and Philippe Sionneau in their “Treatment of Modern Western Medical Diseases in TCM.” Acupuncture is much more effective than acupressure, but in case you want to try out some of these points on yourself, you can massage them. Check out this link for locations of these acupuncture and migraine points.

A: Ryan, did you read our social phobia article yet? (http://pulsemed.org/Socialphobia.htm)

Are you looking for more detailed lifestyle-type solutions? Are you suspicious that Chinese Medicine won't work for you because you've tried Chinese Medicine before, or are you just afraid of disappointment? What makes you say you think you are yang deficient? Help me target my response to you with answers to these questions. All best, B

Q: Hi Brian, I don't exactly know why I feel I'm yang deficient, I know very little about chinese medicine. But from my extensive readings on internet about symptoms I've been experiencing (red face, racing heart, constant heat, sometimes with uncontrollable sweating, nervousness--social phobia). I feel I'm exerting many of what I understand to be yang deficiency symptoms.

I'm not really shy but feel I'm really under a lot of pressure especially when around strangers or making a first impression. I'm hoping to overcome this without Western meds. that have too many terrible side effects. As far as lifestyle changes, I've been doing practically same things I've always done, but now everything is just much harder in general, and social phobia of whatever kind may be to blame. If you have any recommendations about changing this naturally, I'm all ears.

I've never tried a chinese medicine before, I just am skeptical about true intentions of a lot of on-line doctors/therapists that are quick to perscribe something for someone they do not know or really care about.

Not to sound like a Mr. Know-it-all, but I'm a graduating with a Marketing minor soon and know a lot about advertising and marketing schemes. This being a problem many Americans face makes it all more enticing for someone attempting make a quick buck from desperate people. But I do not feel this way about your organization and as I said, I know very little about Chinese medicine. I'd like to find something that works for me and hope you'll talk with me some more.

Thank you very very much for your time and understanding Sincerely, Ryan

A: Ryan, thanks for your clarification, and your feedback.

I keep hearing about online doctors... I haven't looked into this, so I can't speak to that. But yes, internet and my email inbox are full of marketing messages.

The Pulse's major goal is to raise public awareness about Chinese Medicine. We take part in a few affiliate programs (Amazon.com, The Diet Forum) but these are peripheral, and do not influence our writings. We are committed to highest ethical standards- which I have discussed in this article. (10 guidelines article)

Yin and Yang Deficiency So, let's talk about yin and yang deficiency. Yin is passive and cool. Yang is active and hot. Thus, a yin deficiency is a lack of coolness and passivity which leads to "hot" symptoms... feelings of heat, restlessness, etc. Yang deficiency is a lack of heat and activity, so it appear "cold"... feelings of cold, diminished function, tiredness, etc.

However, diagnosis is not so simple. Yin or yang symptoms can be due to deficiency or excess. The ones above are just deficiency kind. A yang excess would be hot and overactive. A yin excess would be cold and sluggish.

Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine I'm going to run you through a hypothetical Chinese Medicine diagnosis- just for your information- you should find a Chinese Medicine physician in your area and consult them for treatment. I don't know all facts of your case, so I can't substitute for a one-on-one consultation. To find a Chinese Medicine physician, go to this page.

Your symptoms are "red face, racing heart, constant heat, sometimes with uncontrollable sweating, nervousness--social phobia"