log_1

NICE ( The National Institute of Clinical Excellence) the government health body recommend a course of up to 10 sessions of acupuncture over 5 – 8 weeks for the treatment and prevention of headaches.

A splitting headache can be extremely painful and uncomfortable. For migraine sufferers the pain is multiplied several times.Migraine comes with a number of unpleasant symptoms which can include impaired vision, light sensitivity. Typical characteristics are unilateral headache, pulsating quality, moderate or severe intensity. Sufferers my experience nausea and vomiting.

acupuncture treatment
icon_

Acupuncture for Migraine and Headaches in Finchley.

Acupuncture for headaches and migraines is painless, using tiny hair-like needles to stimulate the body’s natural healing process.

Regardless of the type of headache, and the signs and symptoms you present with, the aim is to normalise the activity in the brain through regulating hormones and neurotransmitters.

Acupuncture research shows that the insertion of acupuncture needles at certain points triggers the release of endorphins. So acupuncture can have the same pain modulation effect as endorphins would, therefore people experience mostly an immediate effect.

How Acupuncture works:

  • Providing pain relief – by stimulating nerves located in muscles and other tissues, acupuncture leads to release of endorphins and changes the process of pain in the brain and spinal cord.
  • Reducing inflammation
  • Modulating extra cranial and intracranial blood flow
  • Affecting serotonin levels in the brain.

At your first appointment, a  full case history will be taken, with the formulation of a treatment plan. This plan may also include lifestyle and dietary advice. We have seen great results in the treatment of stress/tension headaches, PMS headaches, migraines headaches, and headaches in pregnancy.

The Evidence

A systematic review looked at acupuncture used for preventing tension headache or migraine.  Acupuncture was found to reduce the frequency of headaches compared to taking no preventative measures (such as drugs or relaxation techniques).

These results suggest that acupuncture can potentially reduce the frequency of migraine or tension headaches. Source www.nhs.uk

The Migraine Trust have more information on Acupuncture for migraine headaches.