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Headaches are commonly caused by allergies, anxiety, stress, tension,
sinus pressure, muscle tension, hormonal imbalance, trauma to the head,
eyestrain, coffee consumption, nutritional deficiences, or the use
of alcohol, drugs or tobacco. Headaches can also be brought on by irritants
such as perfume, after shave or air pollutants.
Experts estimate
that approximately ninety percent of all headaches are tension headache
and six percent are migraines. Tension headaches are the result of
muscular tension whereas migraines occur when there is a disturbance
in the blood circulation to the brain.
Frequent headaches
can be the sign of an underlying health problem such as hypertension,
hypoglycemia, sinusitis, or food allergies.
According to TCM
theory, a headache is either induced by external pathogens or internal
injury. In general, the onset of a headache due to external pathogens
is rapid and very painful. Its nature is excess and should be treated
by dispelling the external pathogens.
In contrast, the
onset of a headache due to an internal injury is usually slow. The
pain is slight, though the condition is chronic and is often accompanied
by some symptoms in the internal organs. This type of headache is deficient
in nature and should be treated through tonificiation.
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