The Patterns of Migraine and Tension Headaches - what do your symptoms say about you?
A "pattern" in Traditional Chinese Medicine can be akin to a diagnosis in Western medicine. That said, a headache can be a diagnosis in Western medicine, whereas it is merely a symptom in TCM. Patterns take all the symptoms into account. They are a summation of symptoms, if you will. This can make them different from diagnoses from a biomedical standpoint.
For example, there is no pattern by the name of “migraines”, but there is a diagnosis of migraines. The pattern of that migraine may, instead, be “Stagnation of Cold in the Liver channel”.
While it may sound insane and confusing, it’s not to an acupuncturist. Just as MDs use diagnoses as guidelines to test and treat properly, acupuncturists use patterns as guidelines to test and treat properly. Whether the language makes sense to you or not, it does to someone else who can use their education and experience to simplify it.
To me, the word “pattern” sounds much less intimidating than “diagnosis”.
Quick Pattern Guide here, much more detail below:
Migraine Headaches
Liver Qi Stagnation with Blood Stagnation
Stagnation of Cold in Liver Channel
Wind Attack (Cold or Heat)
Migraine or Tension Headaches
Kidney Essence Deficiency (Yin or Yang)
Liver Yang Rising
Liver Fire
Phlegm Obstruction
Blood Deficiency - Liver or Heart
Tension Headaches
Liver Qi Stagnation
Spleen Qi Deficiency with Dampness
Qi and Blood Deficiency
TCM Pattern
Liver Qi Stagnation with Blood Stagnation[4]
Features
Stabbing, "boring", splitting, fixed location
+ worse at night
+ dark complexion
+ rib or abdominal pain
+ painful periods with clotted blood
T: pink/purple, or red/purple[4]
P: wiry or choppy
Treatment Principles
Move Blood and Eliminate stasis
Move Qi
Open the upper orifices[4]
Acupuncture
Sp6, LI4, Sp10, ST36, UB17, Du20
Herbal Formula
Xue Fu Zhu Yu Tang - Drive out Stasis in the Mansion of Blood Decoction[4,7]
Notes
Tend to be chronic or caused by trauma[4]
TCM Pattern
Stagnation of Cold in Liver Channel[3]
Features
Dull but intense
+ feeling of cold in the body
+ vomiting
T: pale, wet, white coat
P: wiry, slow
Treatment Principles
Dispel Cold
Unblock the channels
Descend Rebellious Qi
Harmonize the Middle Jiao
Acupuncture
Ren4, Ren6, Ren12, Du20, Liv3, PC6
Herbal Formula
Wu Zhu Yu Tang - Evodia Decoction[6]
Notes
May occur all over the head
TCM Pattern
Wind Attack (Cold or Heat)[4]
Features
Headache with acute onset, stiff feeling
+ fever, chills
+ nasal congestion
+ body aches
+ dizziness
Treatment Principles
Dispel Wind
Remove obstruction in the meridians and collaterals
Regulate the Qi and Blood
Acupuncture Base points
Wind-Cold: Du16, UB12, GB20, LU7, LI4
Wind-Heat: Du14, LI11, LI4, SJ5, LU10, LU11
Add any of the following point combinations based on location of the headache[5]
Occipital: GB20, UB60, SI3
Frontal: ST8, Du23, Du24, LI4, ST44
Temporal: Taiyang, GB8, SJ5, GB41
Parietal: Du20, SI3, UB67, LV3
Herbal Formula
Chuan Xiong Cha Tiao San - Ligusticum Chuanxiong Powder to Be Taken with Green Tea[7]
Notes
May be accompanied by symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, or the Wind has been able to penetrate someone with a longstanding underlying deficiency and can do so in a chronic manner.