The Patterns of Migraine and Tension Headaches - what do your symptoms say about you?
You can think of a pattern in Traditional Chinese Medicine as a diagnosis in Western medicine. What is the language and treatment of your migraine and tension headache signs and symptoms in TCM?
A "pattern" in Traditional Chinese Medicine can be akin to a diagnosis in Western medicine. That said, a headache can be a diagnosis in Western medicine, whereas it is merely a symptom in TCM. Patterns take all the symptoms into account. They are a summation of symptoms, if you will. This can make them different from diagnoses from a biomedical standpoint.
For example, there is no pattern by the name of “migraines”, but there is a diagnosis of migraines. The pattern of that migraine may, instead, be “Stagnation of Cold in the Liver channel”.
While it may sound insane and confusing, it’s not to an acupuncturist. Just as MDs use diagnoses as guidelines to test and treat properly, acupuncturists use patterns as guidelines to test and treat properly. Whether the language makes sense to you or not, it does to someone else who can use their education and experience to simplify it.
To me, the word “pattern” sounds much less intimidating than “diagnosis”.
Quick Pattern Guide here, much more detail below:
Migraine Headaches
Liver Qi Stagnation with Blood Stagnation
Stagnation of Cold in Liver Channel
Wind Attack (Cold or Heat)
Migraine or Tension Headaches
Kidney Essence Deficiency (Yin or Yang)
Liver Yang Rising
Liver Fire
Phlegm Obstruction
Blood Deficiency - Liver or Heart
Tension Headaches
Liver Qi Stagnation
Spleen Qi Deficiency with Dampness
Qi and Blood Deficiency
TCM Pattern
Liver Qi Stagnation with Blood Stagnation[4]
Features
Stabbing, "boring", splitting, fixed location
+ worse at night
+ dark complexion
+ rib or abdominal pain
+ painful periods with clotted blood
T: pink/purple, or red/purple[4]
P: wiry or choppy
Treatment Principles
Move Blood and Eliminate stasis
Move Qi
Open the upper orifices[4]
Acupuncture
Sp6, LI4, Sp10, ST36, UB17, Du20
Herbal Formula
Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang - Drive out Stasis in the Mansion of Blood Decoction[4,7]
Notes
Tend to be chronic or caused by trauma[4]