Acupuncture Treatment for Headaches & Migraines
People who suffer from chronic headaches and migraines know how incapacitating they can be and how frustrating it is to take medications that often don’t seem to help. Headaches and migraines aren’t something that can simply be ignored or overlooked by the people who suffer from them on a regular basis.
Migraines and headaches can affect all aspects of life from work to personal interactions. However, there are treatments outside of traditional Western medical practices that can help lower these aggravations. At Gainesville Holistic Healthcare, our Gainesville acupuncture professionals would like to help you combat chronic headaches and migraines by shedding some light on the many benefits that acupuncture treatment can offer.
Headaches & Migraines: How They Affect You
Headaches and migraines both create pressure and pain in the head but there are distinctions between the two. Headaches can occur in the forehead, temples, back of the neck, and most commonly on both sides of the head. They range in severity and can last from half an hour to a week. Three of the most common types of headaches are:
- Cluster headaches that come in cycles and occur on one side of the head.
- Sinus headaches that arise from sinus infections.
- Tension headaches caused mainly by muscle tension, anxiety, and stress.
Migraines are intense pains that most commonly appear on one side of the head and are accompanied by other symptoms such as puncturing pain in the temples, behind one eye or ear; nausea; and sensitivity to noise and light. Migraines can last from a couple of hours to several days.
Despite their distinctions, however, chronic headaches and migraines share a major similarity. Both can be detrimental to your overall well-being and hinder daily life. They affect the way you go about your day handling common tasks, the way you interact with those around you, and even the way you feel about yourself. Chronic headaches and migraines can be so severe that they cause you to miss work, prevent you from participating in events or family gatherings, and negatively impact your relationships with friends and family. They can even create further stress and lead to depression.
How Acupuncture Can Relieve Headaches & Migraines
Unlike Western medicine, which aims to treat the symptoms of headaches and migraines once they arise, acupuncture works to prevent them from occurring. Medication prescribed for chronic headaches and migraines masks the pain through pain relievers such as acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen rather than targeting the root of the problem. While such medication might work at first, eventually the body builds up tolerance that can lead to higher dosages of medication that can be detrimental to your health, become ineffective at blocking pain, or become addictive.
Acupuncture treatment is an alternative, natural method of treating chronic headaches and migraines without the risks that medications pose. Acupuncture works to treat headaches and migraines by stimulating certain points of the body and promoting better blood flow and circulation in tissues that need it. Acupuncture also relieves tension in muscles, relaxes the body, and stimulates endorphins to block pain and help with stress, which can be the cause of the headaches and migraines.
Another benefit of acupuncture, unlike Western medication, is that it is tailored to the individual rather than being a one-size-fits-all remedy. This makes it more effective at treating a headache or migraine by determining the imbalances in the individual that are causing it. Acupuncture treatment promotes muscle relaxation, an increase in energy, and an alignment of body and mind that can help fight against stress and depression caused by or causing headaches and migraines.
Acupuncture Treatment in Gainesville, FL
Acupuncture is a natural, simple, and safe practice that has been proven to alleviate and prevent chronic headaches and migraines. Gainesville Holistic Healthcare offers acupuncture Gainesville, FL residents can feel comfortable with, knowing that it provides more benefits than Western medicine without the side effects associated with external medication.
If conventional treatments haven’t helped your headaches or migraines, contact us at Gainesville Holistic Healthcare — we provide acupuncture Gainesville residents can trust.