Headache Treatment With Acupuncture and Functional Medicine BY HELENA AMOS, M.AC., L.AC., EURO. PHYSICIAN TO YOUR HEALTH
Chronic headaches are one of the most common complaints with more than 10 million people in America suffering from them, ranging from severe headaches to debilitating migraines. And just as varied as the pain levels are the symptoms associated with them. Headache suf - ferers report experiencing everything from pressure, light sensitivity and auras to nausea, vomiting, severe throbbing pain and stroke-like reactions. In addition to the more commonly reported symptoms, I have also found other symptoms are often present, such as heart pal- pitations, anxiety, insomnia, menstrual and muscle cramps, and re- current fatigue. Despite the prevalence of clinical headaches, it’s clear that treating them is not a straightforward path given the wide range of symptoms that can occur. For this reason, Functional Medicine is a great op - tion. This approach works by identifying the real causes of a patient’s health problems that lie in the altered physiology below the surface; the symptoms are an underlying dysfunction or an imbalance of bodi- ly systems, and testing works to get to the root of the causes. Identifying Headache Triggers In my own clinical practice, I have found that patients reporting headaches arrive with symptoms associated with mineral deficiencies, especially magnesium; and additional client assessments have re- vealed sugar indulgence, poor diet, alcohol intake, stress and adrenal deficiencies. When these cases present, I have also identified a list of potential underlying conditions contributing to severe headaches and migraines, including: ● estrogen/progesterone imbalance ● high cortisol (stress hormone) ● severe PMS
● Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) ● indigestion; and ● candida overgrowth.
Some patients have problems with energy metabolism. Prediabe- tes, diabetes and usage of artificial sweeteners, as well as the fluctua - tion of insulin in the blood, can cause metabolic imbalances and con- sequent headaches. So can the lack of Vitamin B complex, especially B2, as well as CoQ10, or Coenzyme Q10, an antioxidant your body pro - duces naturally for the purpose of cell growth and maintenance. Absorption issues in general have become a huge problem — today, people’s diets are disproportionately composed of processed “dead” food and preservatives. As a result, in some cases abdominal bloat- ing after eating, lack of digestive enzymes, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) cause headaches symptoms. A Functional Medi - cine approach using a micronutrient test is one of the best ways to look at the absorption profile of the patient and determine how to recom - mend nutritional supplements correctly. Finally, headaches can be caused by musculogenic and discogenic causes — these refer to issues related to back pain and disc degen-
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28—PATHWAYS—Summer 22
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