abstracted & translated by
Honora Lee Wolfe, Lic. Ac, FNAAOM (USA)

Keywords: Chinese medicine, acupuncture, migraine headache

On pages 46-47 of issue #7, 2004 of Ji Lin Zhong Yi Yao (Jilin Chinese Medicine & Medicinals), Wang Qiu-yue published an article titled, "The Treatment of 46 Cases of One-sided Headache with Acupuncture." Because migraines are such a common occurrence, a summary of this article is presented below.

Cohort description:

All 46 patients enrolled in this study were seen as out-patients at the Chinese author’s hospital in Shandong province. Among them, there were 14 males and 32 females aged 17-62 years. These patients had had migraines for from one month to 16 years. All met the diagnostic criteria for migraines published in Shen Jing Bing Xue (A Study of Neurological Diseases) written by Wang Wei-zhi and published by the People’s Health & Hygiene Press in Beijing in 2001.

Treatment method:

The following points were needled on the affected side: Feng Chi (GB 20), Shuai Gu (GB 8), and Tai Yang (M-HN-9); while the remaining points were needled bilaterally: He Gu (LI 4), Wai Guan (TB 5), and Tai Chong (Liv 3). Two inch long, 0.38mm in diameter needles were used. Feng Chi was needled with the point of the needle angled toward the tip of the nose to a depth of 1.5 inches. Large amplitude twisting and turning and small amplitude lifting and thrusting hand technique was used to propagate a needle sensation to the temporal region. Shuai Gu was needled transversely to a depth of 1.5 inches to connect with Tou Wei (St 8). Tai Yang was needled posteriorly to connect with He Liao (TB 22). These three needles were manipulated with small amplitude twisting and turning technique. He Gu, Wai Guan, and Tai Chong were needled with standard methodology. These points were needled once per day, with the needles retained for 30 minutes each time. Ten treatments equaled one course, and a five day rest was allowed between each successive course.

Study outcomes:

Clinical cure was defined as disappearance of the clinical symptoms and no recurrence within six months. Some effect was defined as marked decrease or disappearance of the symptoms. However, there was a recurrence within six months. No effect was defined as no improvement in clinical symptoms after two courses of treatment. Based on these criteria, 33 cases (71.74%) of the patients were judged cured, another 10 (21.74%) got some effect, and only three (6.52%) got no effect. Therefore, the total effectiveness rate was published as 93.48%.

Discussion:

According to Dr. Wang, migraines are associated with the shao yang and yang ming channels and are mostly due to wind cold, phlegm damp, and static blood obstructing the flow of qi and blocking the clear orifices. Because the channels and network vessels are not freely flowing, there is pain. Feng Chi is an interesction of the foot shao yang channel and yang wei vessel. It is able to dispel wind and open the orifices, free the flow of th channels and stop pain. Its effect is markedly better when it is needled deeply. Tai Yang is an extraordinary point on the head region which can treat one-sided head pain. Tou Wei is a foot yang ming channel point. Shaui Gu is a foot shao yang channel point. When these three points are used together, they are able to extinguish wind, transform phlegm, and stop tetany, clear the eyes and stop pain. He Gu is the hand yang ming source point. It is an essential point for freeing the flow of the channels and settling pain in the head and face regions. Wai Guan is the foot shao yang network vessel point. Tai Chong is the foot jue yin source point. The liver and gallbladder have an interior /exterior relationship, and these are their respective source and network vessel points which untie the two. Therefore, they are able to course and disinhibit qi stagnation of  the liver and gallbladder channels and vessels. Thus the flow of the qi and blood are freed and eased or smoothed, yin and yang are harmonized and regulated, pain is eliminated and the spirit is quieted.

Copyright © Blue Poppy Press, 2005. All rights reserved.

For more information on the Chinese medical treatment of migraines, see Bob Flaws & Philippe Sionneau’s The Treatment of Modern Western Medical Diseases with Chinese Medicine available from Blue Poppy Press.