Acupuncture treatment for headaches at our clinic in Stretford
Which type of headaches can Acupuncture help?
Research and clinical findings have shown that Acupuncture is very effective at treating tension headaches, muscle contraction headaches, and migraines. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends Acupuncture as a treatment for both tension headaches and migraines.
Whichever type of headache you suffer, it is worth calling us to discuss your complaint. It is common for people to have two or more different types of headaches: mixed headache syndrome. If you are suffering from cluster headaches and tension headaches, it might not be possible to stop your pain completely, but we can reduce the severity and frequency of the pain you are suffering with, greatly improving your quality of life.
See below for a detailed description of how these health improvements happen after Acupuncture treatment.
Acupuncture is a holistic solution to headaches, improving our emotional and mental well-being. Stress, Anxiety, and depression are commonly reported as being a cause of headaches. In fact, a vicious cycle can begin in which headaches cause Anxiety, stress, and depression. Acupuncture has an advantage over many other approaches to treating headaches as it improves the mental and emotional aspects of our health and the physical. Acupuncture has been proven to reduce the fight or flight hormones cortisol and adrenaline levels in the body. Having excess levels of these Hormones has negative effects on our physical as well as our mental health. In addition, there have been positive studies looking at the effect of Acupuncture to calm and deactivate the Amygdala, which plays a key role in anxiety, depression and the detection of fear. The release of serotonin is also documented in studies on the effects of Acupuncture. This neurotransmitter is believed to help regulate mood, behaviour, memory and sleep.
Trigger points:
Many headaches are caused by trigger points in the face, scalp, neck, and shoulders or by an injury to the joints, ligaments, or nerves in the neck. Acupuncture is exceptionally successful when this is the cause of the headache. If your symptoms are similar in location to the image below, there could be trigger point involvement with your complaint.
Pain relief:
When stimulated correctly, some Acupuncture points have been proven to flood the brain with pain-killing hormones. Needling stimulates nerves to release several neurotransmitters and hormones causing pain-relieving effects. Adenosine a neurotransmitter that blocks nerve signals, β-Endorphin lessens the body’s perception of pain, Met-enkephalin regulates nociception, and Oxytocin modulates pain and relaxes and calms people, have all been proven to be released during Acupuncture treatment. These natural chemical changes act on the body’s pain receptors and transmit signals to the nervous system through the brain and spinal cord.
Releasing tight muscles:
Releasing tight scalp, face, neck, and shoulder muscles is essential for correcting most headaches, especially tension and muscle contraction headaches. A common reason muscles become tight is in response to them becoming strained or torn, our nervous system increases the tone of that muscle as a protective measure to prevent further injury. The healing effects acupuncture has on tissues (described below) can correct the injury, eliminating the need for this protective action and allowing the muscle to return to its healthy resting tone. The improved circulation to muscles (described here) is essential for a tight muscle to relax and heal as improved circulation gets essential nutrients into muscles, allowing this to happen. In fact, muscular tightness can be a direct response to ischemia, usually because of overuse or injury.
Trigger points are knots in muscles that can cause several problems. One of these is that because of the chemistry caused by the trigger point, it is sometimes impossible for the muscle that houses it to release and return to its resting tone. Acupuncture is excellent at releasing trigger points and allowing the muscle they are in to release.
It is common for muscles to become tight due to other muscles being tight or too loose. The secondary muscle is compensated for by releasing the muscle, allowing the compensating muscle to reduce the tone it should be.
Reducing stress:
Stress is a common contributor to the cause of headaches and cause, especially tension headaches. The main reasons are the typical stress responses of raised blood pressure, tightening of the neck and face muscles, and releasing the hormone cortisol. The success of acupuncture in relieving and reversing the stress response is one of the main reasons why acupuncture is so successful in treating headaches. This is achieved as treatment increases parasympathetic nervous system activity, produces “relax and repair” effects on the body, and reduces the “fight and flight” effect the sympathetic nervous system has when we are stressed. Further improvements to our emotional and mental well being can be gained from Acupuncture as it also stimulates the release of endorphins that lift our mood, oxytocin that reduces fear and anxiety, and serotonin that regulates our moods and aids sleep and memory.
Improve circulation and healing:
Our mission statement at The Manchester Osteopathy and Acupuncture Clinic is to correct the cause of our client's pain. For this to happen, a healing response needs to be initiated in both the injured tissues and any affected part of the nervous system. Acupuncture achieves this through several mechanisms.
Acupuncture improves circulation in the area of the injury, the nervous system, and the brain without raising arterial blood pressure or pulse rate. During treatment, nerve endings are stimulated to release calcitonin gene-related peptides. These peptides bind to the cell walls of the blood vessels and capillaries, causing them to relax, resulting in vasodilation. Adenosine also stimulates dilation in blood vessels, particularly the Coronary artery, improving blood flow to the heart. Improved circulation also helps remove lactic acid and dead blood cells; the replenished blood helps fresh oxygen and nutrients reach the injured tissues.
Some Acupuncture points have been shown to increase activity in the parasympathetic nervous system. This increases neurotransmitters that start the processes described as “relax and repair” and “rest and digest.” These health benefits go beyond helping the body heal; they make us feel less stressed, reduce blood pressure, and improve the immune system.
Contact the Manchester Osteopathy and Acupuncture clinic for more information.
0161 270 0426 or 07976 254 439
