What Chinese Medicine Says About Headaches and Migraines
- Jacob Hoskins
- Jul 22
- 4 min read
Beyond the Pain: Why TCM Looks Deeper
Headaches and migraines are among the most common — and frustrating — issues people seek treatment for. While painkillers may help in the moment, they don’t always address the underlying cause. as frustrating as this is. headaches and migraines are highly individual and may not respond all the time to western medicine.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we don’t treat headaches as a single problem. Instead, we look at patterns — the unique combination of symptoms, triggers, and imbalances that create each person’s experience of pain.
Whether you’re dealing with sharp, pulsing migraines or lingering, dull headaches, there’s always a root imbalance worth exploring.
Headache & Migraine Definitions (Western Medicine)
Tension Headache
The most common type of headache, often described as a dull, aching sensation on both sides of the head, accompanied by tightness or pressure around the forehead or scalp. Often linked to stress, poor posture, or muscle tension.
Migraine
A neurological condition involving intense, often one-sided throbbing pain. It may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances (aura), and sensitivity to light and sound. Triggers can include stress, hormonal changes, certain foods, or lack of sleep.
Sinus Headache
Occurs when the sinus passages behind the cheeks, nose, or forehead become inflamed or blocked. The pain is typically felt around the eyes, cheeks, and forehead, and is often accompanied by nasal congestion or pressure.
Cluster Headache
A rare but extremely painful type of headache that comes in cyclical patterns or “clusters.” Pain is severe, one-sided, and usually focused around the eye, often accompanied by tearing, nasal congestion, or eyelid drooping.
Cervicogenic Headache
A headache that originates from dysfunction or tension in the neck. It often presents as pain that starts at the base of the skull and radiates to the front of the head or temples, and may worsen with neck movement.
Why Do Headaches Occur in Chinese Medicine?
In TCM, most pain arises when the free flow of Qi (energy) and Blood is blocked. When this blockage happens in the head, we experience pain — but how it feels, where it appears, and when it flares up all offer clues to the cause.
Here are some of the most common patterns:
1. Liver Yang Rising
Common with stress, emotional pressure, and frustration
Pain is throbbing or pulsing, often at the temples or behind the eyes
May be accompanied by dizziness, red eyes, irritability, or neck tension
Often worsens with anger, late nights, or hormonal changes
2. Qi and Blood Deficiency
Headaches feel dull, lingering, or empty
Often worsens with fatigue, exertion, or after menstruation
May include pale complexion, light-headedness, or poor memory
Responds well to nourishment, rest, and gentle acupuncture
3. Wind Invasion (External Pathogen)
Sudden onset after exposure to wind, cold, or seasonal changes
Pain is felt at the back of the neck and head, with stiffness
May include sinus congestion, chills, or sensitivity to drafts
Similar to a “weather headache” or post-cold lingering symptoms
4. Phlegm and Damp Obstruction
Head feels heavy, foggy, or blocked, like it’s wrapped in cotton wool
Often linked to poor digestion, sinus issues, or humidity
May come with fatigue, nausea, or bloating
Worsens after eating rich, greasy, or dairy-heavy foods
What About Migraines?
In Chinese medicine, migraines usually involve multiple patterns, especially Liver Yang rising or Blood/Yin deficiency. Hormonal migraines are often tied to Liver Qi stagnation, particularly in women during their cycle.
When treating migraines, we also consider:
Timing (cycle-related, stress-related, weather changes)
Other symptoms (aura, nausea, light/sound sensitivity)
Lifestyle and food triggers
The goal isn’t just short-term relief — it’s to prevent recurrence by treating the internal cause.
How Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine Help with Headaches
Acupuncture is well-known for its pain-relieving effects, but in Chinese medicine, it does more than relieve symptoms. It helps restore harmony between organ systems, clear blockages, and rebalance the body’s energy so that pain is less likely to return.
Key benefits of acupuncture include:
Reducing pain intensity and frequency
Calming the nervous system and down-regulating the stress response
Releasing muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and jaw
Regulating hormones and digestion, both of which often play a role in migraines
Targeting the underlying pattern, not just the symptom
Chinese Herbal Medicine as Support
For ongoing or stubborn cases, Chinese herbal formulas can significantly enhance treatment by working from the inside out. Formulas are tailored to your presentation — for example:
For Liver Yang Rising migraines: herbs that anchor rising energy, calm the Liver, and relieve tension
For Qi and Blood deficiency: formulas that nourish and tonify the body
For Wind-Cold headaches: warming herbs that expel external pathogens
For damp-type headaches: herbs that dry damp, resolve phlegm, and improve digestion
Herbs are commonly prescribed in granule, tea pill or capsule form and are carefully chosen to match your specific constitution and needs.
Together, acupuncture and herbal medicine form a comprehensive, personalised system to treat both the symptoms and root causes of headaches. Typically treatment plans can range from a week to months depending on the severity and chronic nature of the presenting complaint.
When to Seek Treatment
If headaches are affecting your work, mood, sleep, or daily life, Chinese medicine offers a different path — one that supports the whole system rather than suppressing pain.
If you feel your system needs rebalancing, now is an ideal time to start.
Or reach out to discuss treatment possibilities.
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