People often ask me what acupuncture is good for, believing that it’s only a musculoskeletal treatment, which may help back pain, neck pain and things like sciatica.  And whereas it is great for dealing with these, for me the magic happens when I’m asked to sort out deeper issues, such as menstrual and gynaecological issues (including fertility and menopause), sleep patterns, stress, digestive disturbances and headaches. 

These symptoms have many causes.  It’s when confronted by complex issues such as these, when I have to turn into Sherlock Holmes to get to the bottom of why such symptoms are presenting, that I enjoy my work the most … and where the most job satisfaction is to be found.  Living with pain is so debilitating and when it disappears, it’s like a miracle.

I’m reminded of a lady in her late forties who came to see me about her headaches.  During the diagnosis, when asking her to describe various aspects of these headaches, I asked how often she had them and her reply was, “Oh, you know, about as often as most people.”  “And how often do you think most people actually have headaches?” I asked.  “About 4-5 times a week,” she replied.  “Would it surprise you to know that many people don’t have headaches at all, and that that is normal?” I asked.  She just looked at me in shock as she digested the implication of my words, and a few weeks later hers were completely gone.

According to the Migraine Trust, between 15% and 23% of the adult population in the UK (around 10 million adults) are affected by migraines, and that statistic doesn’t include those people who “just” have “normal” headaches.  It seems as if there is a lot of pain being endured out there.

My lady client had taken the usual medication and it had never helped and so she became resigned to the fact that this was simply something she would have to live with.  If the medical profession couldn’t help, then there was nothing else to do.  Does this sound familiar?

Years later people are now far more open to other options and acupuncture can work wonders, as long as it is done by someone with the correct training (3-4 years) and not someone who learned where a few points are on a weekend course (dry needling).

The reason it’s important to have done the correct amount of training is that, in order to be able to treat effectively, you need to understand how energy flows through your body, what happens when it gets stuck and causes pain, and how to resolve the issue.  So, if you ever decide to try acupuncture, make sure you ask how long the acupuncturist’s study period was.  Anything less than 3 years and I would advise that you look elsewhere.

So, why is the flow of your body’s energy or Qi (pronounced chee) so important?  You’re probably aware of the network of blood capillaries which take blood around your body, well imagine there is a similar network, which you can’t actually see, taking your energy around as well.

The Chinese liken this network to a river with no beginning or end, but which flows in a circuit up, down and around your body.  If the water flows smoothly then all is well and you are in good health.  Now imagine a tree falls across the river and impedes flow.  What happens then?  Well, the area leading up to the tree will become waterlogged and swollen as the water isn’t able to flow through, and on the other side of the tree, the ground becomes dry and cracked as the earth is no longer being nourished by the water.

And so it is with your body.  If something impedes the flow of Qi, symptoms occur.  You may suffer from water retention, such as swollen ankles, or you may feel malnourished, for example with dry eyes or dry skin.  The job of the acupuncturist is then to determine where the “tree” has fallen across the river, lift it out of the way by selecting certain acupuncture points, and thus restore flow and vibrant health.

This can be relatively simple, as in the case of sciatica, or quite complicated if the cause is more internal.  Let’s take headaches as an example.

There are 12 different types of headache in Chinese Medicine, and that means that there are 12 different treatments!  We don’t have a “one size fits all” approach.  Everyone has their own personal and specific treatment.  Sometimes, 2 of the headaches may even appear at different times of the day or the month, e.g. a pounding headache before menstruation (a bit like PMT) and then a dull ache after the period has finished (when you are weakened as a result of the blood loss), so the permutations are endless.  And that is what makes acupuncture so amazing.

There are several major causes of headaches in Chinese Medicine, but the main ones are:

• Our emotions (anger, worry, overthinking, fear)
• Overwork (which weakens the body)
• Diet (overeating, fatty or sugary food, hot spicy food, cold/raw food)
• Weather (too much wind or thundery conditions)

We also diagnose which type of headache we are dealing with by looking at:

• Onset (sudden or gradual, acute or chronic)
• Time of Day (do you wake with it or does it not come till the evening?)
• Location (forehead, eyes, temple, one side, top, back or whole of head)
• Type of Pain (strong, weak, throbbing, splitting, dull)
• What makes it better/worse (movement, stress, food, period, lying down)

So, you receive your own personalised headache treatment … no one person is the same and neither is their headache!

If you are one of those people who sometimes feels as if their head is going to explode, acupuncture may be the answer to your prayers!  Call someone today and have a chat.  The British Acupuncture Council has a directory if you don’t know anyone yourself. This could be the first day of the rest of your life … without headaches! 

Let’s get you back to living life feeling well.

This article forms part of the series (At My) Wit’s End Wisdom