Acupuncture for Migraines & Headaches
Relief during an attack — and, over a course of care, fewer and milder attacks.
Migraine & headache acupuncture: key facts
- Types treated
- Migraine with or without aura, tension headache, menstrual (hormonal) migraine, post-accident and post-concussion headache, cluster-type and chronic daily headache.
- During an attack
- Treatment during an active headache can often bring it down within the session.
- Prevention
- Typically twice a week for about a month, then maintenance every few weeks to months.
- Techniques
- Acupuncture, electro-stimulation, cupping, micro-bloodletting, herbs and neck/shoulder release.
Fewer headaches, milder headaches
Migraines and headaches are on the World Health Organization's list of conditions acupuncture may help, and they are among the most rewarding conditions we treat. For many patients the first sign that acupuncture works is immediate: a headache that walked in the door is gone by the end of the session.
The longer goal is prevention. Chinese medicine looks for what drives your headaches — tension held in the neck and shoulders, hormonal shifts across the cycle, digestion, sleep, stress or an old injury — and treats that pattern. Over a course of care, patients usually describe headaches becoming less frequent and less severe, and medication needed less often.
Paula Z., 32, had migraines two or three times a month for years. Paula arrived for the first appointment with a migraine starting; by the end of the session it had subsided. After four weeks of twice-weekly treatment, a maintenance visit every two months keeps the migraines away.
How we treat headaches
Find the pattern
Where it hurts, when it starts, what triggers it, and how sleep, digestion and your cycle are involved.
Release the neck
Needles, electro-stimulation and cupping on the neck and shoulders, where many headaches begin.
Regulate the system
Distal points and, when needed, micro-bloodletting to quickly clear an acute headache.
Keep it away
Herbs, home exercises and maintenance sessions spaced further apart as you improve.
Life without the next migraine
I arrived with a migraine coming on. When the treatment was done, my headache had subsided.— Paula Z.Paterson, NJ · age 32
The relief from my chronic pain has been amazing. The results are cumulative — stay committed!— Marisa T.Morristown, NJ · age 24
When I had a migraine during an appointment, he rid me of it. This was a miracle for me!— Mandi H.Madison, NJ · age 29
Five months later I'm off my blood pressure pill with my doctor's blessing — and I don't smoke anymore.— Glenda H.Union, NJ · age 55
My next ultrasound showed the cyst was completely resolved.— Abigail C.Madison, NJ · age 30
After 3.5 years of doctor visits, I can finally turn my head. Now no more medications.— Priscilla B.Flanders, NJ · age 75
Headache questions
Should I come in during a migraine?
If you can, yes. Treatment during an active migraine often relieves it within the session, and it shows us exactly which pattern is involved.
How many treatments does migraine prevention take?
A common course is about twice a week for four weeks, then maintenance visits every few weeks or months depending on how you respond. Long-standing migraines may need longer.
Can acupuncture help headaches after a car accident?
Yes. Post-accident headaches frequently involve neck injury and muscle tension, which respond well to acupuncture with electro-stimulation and cupping. One patient with ten months of daily headaches after an accident found the relief "amazing."
When should a headache be checked by a doctor first?
A sudden, severe "worst-ever" headache, headache with fever and stiff neck, confusion, weakness, vision loss or after a head injury needs immediate medical attention. Acupuncture is for diagnosed, recurring headaches.
Related pages
Ready to feel like yourself again?
Call the office nearest you to schedule. New patients should allow about 90 minutes for the first visit, which includes a full health history, pulse and tongue diagnosis and your first treatment.