Once I determine the diagnosis, I administer acupuncture and herbs to tonify the body and alleviate sympotoms. Important Clues For Oriental Diagnosis: (1.) What activity makes pain intensify or diminish? (2.) What part of your head hurts (3.) What time of the day does it hurt. (4.) What is the nature of your pain? - stabbing, migrating, dull, fixed, empty, constant, heavy, or intermittent?

Tension Headaches - These usually occur behind the eyes and at the temples, and most often on one side of the head. There is an energy channel in this part of the head that is connected to the Gall Bladder and Liver. Usually these headaches indicate that the organ itself, the Liver for example, is deficient in fluid and/or the blood circulating through it. So a CM treatment would first help you get rid of the pain with acupuncture, but then give you herbs to strengthen all fluids in the liver to promote the movement of energy within the channel connected to that organ.

Forehead Pain - There is an energy channel in this part of the head that is connected to the stomach. So sometimes if you eat food that disagrees with your digestive tract or if you haven’t eaten in a long time and your stomach is deprived, you will get pain here. The pain will be sharp if you have food poisoning or heat in the stomach from spicy foods. The pain will be dull if you haven’t eaten for a long time and you are weak. Sinus congestion will also give you a headache on your forehead, showing that fluid buildup has occurred from a weak spleen or stomach, thus causing stagnation in the energy channels connected to these organs.

Pain at the Back of the Head - If you catch the common cold, you may feel pain in the back of the head, but you will also have a stiff neck. That’s because the energy channel in the back of the head is involved in your first line of defense when a bacterial or viral agent enters your body. Back of the head pain is common for women at the end of their menstrual cycle. This is because the vital essence is depleted at the end of a woman’s period. Vital essence is not only blood, but also the yin and yang energy of the whole body. The channel in the back of the head connects to the kidneys which rule a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Pain on the Top of the Head - Pain at the top of the head usually means that a person is low in blood and energy. There is not enough of it to move up and nourish the head. This type of pain is dull and might be associated with dizziness. Sometimes people who are too physically active without replenishing their bodies will get pain here.