Pain is the most common reason why patients would initially seek treatment from an acupuncturist in the United States. Of the types of pain treated by an acupuncturist the most common would be musculoskeletal in nature. The second most common area of treatment for pain would include headaches especially tension type and migraines. More commonly the patient has already been diagnosed and has tried many types of treatments already.
Acupuncture by nature will cause the dialation of blood vessels around the insertion points of the needles. This usually would not be appropriate for treatment of acute migraine with points on the head as the blood vessels are in a state of increased dialation from over excited neurotransmitters already. Mostly all of the acupuncture points selected would be found on the arms and legs, with some of the most powerful on the feet. This is because most of the meridians that are affected by migraines travel from the head down the length of the body to the feet.
Some believe that migraines are actually caused by abnormal liver functions. This initiates an imbalance of essential elements in the body such as iron, magnesium, and manganese. More can be found on this subject at www.acu-cell.com. This interesting topic has the potential of being even more dynamic as some of the most important acupuncture points to treat migraines are located on the Liver and Gallbladder meridians of Chinese medicine.
Godzilla Lives…
Migraines are a common disorder affecting about 13% of Americans and 10% of people world-wide. Three times more women are affected than men and from all walks of life and ages. The older you are though the less likely you will experience them. Anyone over 40 who has never experienced one can rejoice because odds are you never will.

The most common sign of a migraine is a headache but pain is by and far not the only symptom! Actually if you know you get migraines and are having one now the best thing to do is save this site to your favorites and lie down and rest in a nice dark room if you can. We will be here when its over :).
Calling a migraine just a bad headache is like calling Godzilla just a bad Komodo dragon then wondering how your city just got burnt down. For those that have experienced migraines or know people who have understand just how baffling and devastating this disorder can be.
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Miguel Maya, L.Ac.