Acupuncture: Does It Work, and Can It Help Tension Headaches?

Tension headaches are no joke, and sufferers typically look for every possible treatment until they find something that helps. Many patients who visit Jimenez Chiropractic Med-Spa seek an alternative, holistic approach for treating their tension headaches after trying medications and other Western medicine treatments that have proven unsuccessful. These patients and many others may benefit from the use of acupuncture to treat tension headaches, migraines, and other medical and chiropractic conditions.

What Is Acupuncture? 

Acupuncture has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia, but it’s only recently become popular in Western medicine. According to Chinese medicine, qi (pronounced “chee”) is an energy that flows along pathways in the body, and when qi becomes blocked or unbalanced, the person can suffer physically. Tiny needles promote natural healing and balance of qi and are placed in specific points of the body depending on the affliction. These needles stimulate the body, and many patients experience relief from tension headaches, migraines, nausea, arthritis, and other conditions.

Acupuncture and Tension Headaches

Tension headaches can vary in location, intensity, frequency, and duration, but they’re not pleasant for any sufferer. Some people experience them for only a few hours, while others feel the pain for days or weeks at a time without relief. Of course, people suffering from this pain seek all possible treatment options to relieve symptoms when pain relievers, muscle relaxers, and other Western medications fail.

While no single treatment is right for every person, many patients have found that acupuncture reduced their symptoms and provided relief without the side effects of medications. Acupuncture works as a treatment option for tension headaches in the three following ways:

• It’s a natural pain reliever. As the needles penetrate the skin, the nervous system responds by releasing natural painkillers called endorphins and enkephalins, which help relieve pain from tension headaches.
• It’s a natural muscle relaxer. The nervous system triggers the brain to direct blood flow to the penetrated areas, decreasing the blood flow in the head and neck and naturally relaxing those muscles.
• It’s a natural stress reliever. Stress is a major trigger for tension headaches, and acupuncture can help relieve it. The needles trigger specific responses in the central and autonomic nervous systems, helping to bring the heart rate into a normal, healthy range, reducing the experience of stress. These responses also help the patient’s brain develop a better response to stress in the future, directly addressing one of the possible causes of their headaches.

To learn if acupuncture is the right treatment for your tension headaches, call Jimenez Chiropractic Med-Spa at (786) 294-0710 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. Be sure to check out our specials page!