A migraine is a severe, debilitating headache that hosts a large variety of neurological symptoms such as throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, disturbances in vision, numbness in face or extremities, sensitivity to light, sound, smell and touch. An individual experiencing a migraine may suffer from one or many of these symptoms during an attack. Each migraine attack can vary in it's symptoms and severity making it difficult for a correct medical diagnosis to be made. About 15-20% of people experience aura symptoms (visual disturbances) before the onset of their migraine (About Migraine, n.d.).
There are a variety of methods used to prevent and treat migraines including prescription medication, over the counter medications, nutrition management, proper sleep habits, herbs, vitamin supplements, exercise, relaxation techniques, psychology, biofeedback, chiropractic care and acupuncture (About Migraine, n.d.). I will be looking at how effective acupuncture is in the treatment of migraines. Acupuncture is one of the ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) methods and is estimated to have began 2000-3000 years ago (Introduction to TCM, n.d.).
TCM believes that all life sources, also called Qi, must flow freely through channels that travel throughout our bodies on twelve separate pathways. These pathways are called meridians and all organs and tissues functions are connected to the more than 300 various points called acupoints which lie on these meridians (Acupuncture, n.d.), (Meridians, n.d). If there is a disturbance in a body function there is a specific point(s) on the meridian(s) that corresponds to the the problem area. These disturbances are caused by a blocked flow of ...
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Therapeutic touch was developed by Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz in the 1970s as a non-invasive nursing intervention (Kelly et al. 2004). Jackson and Keegan (2009, p.614) defined therapeutic touch as “a specific technique of centring intention used while the practitioner moves the hands through a recipient’s energy field for the purpose of assessing and treating energy field imbalance.” The original theory of the technique proposed by nursing theorist Rogers (1970) is that individuals as a unified whole have their own permeable energy fields that extend from the skin surface and flow evenly when they are healthy. The energy field of the ill physical body is disrupted, misaligned, obstructed or “out of tune” (Huff et al. 2006). TT has the potential to re-pattern, reorganize and restore the individual’s imbalanced energy fields through the open system extending from the surface of the body interacting with the environment constantly (Krieger, 1979). The earliest studies of healing touch were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s: biochemist Bernard Grad (1965) collaborated with famous healer Oskar Estebany to demonstrate the significantly accelerated healing effects of therapeutic touch on wounded mice and damaged barley seeds. The central aim of healing therapies is to relax and calm patients in order to activate patients’ natural healing ability, and it does not include any religious activity (Lorenc et al. 2010).
Migraine headaches affect an estimated 36 million Americans, or about 12% of the population, surpassing asthma at 8.3% (25 million) and diabetes at 7.8% (23.6 million). Migraines are much more common in women than in men--about 3 times more common. Nearly 30% of women will experience at least one episode of migraine headaches in their lifetime, most commonly in the third and sixth decades of life. However, migraines can affect anyone at any age and from any ethnic group. In addition to indirect expenses like missed work/school and lost productivity, the American Migraine Foundation estimates that migraines cost Americans more than $20 billion annually. Migraine sufferers are also more likely to experience anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, fatigue, and other pain conditions, and those who experience visual disturbances called “auras” associated with migraines are at an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Unfortunately, there is no cure for migraines. The best treatment options available only to seek to reduce frequency of attacks or treat an attack once one has begun, and medication use is often limited by side effects and difficulty of administration. The American Migraine Foundation itself labels current treatment options “far from perfect” and concludes, “Undoubtedly, better treatments are needed.” Filling this therapeutic void is the primary objective of NuPathe Inc. (very recently acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.) with Zecuity®, a sumatriptan iontophoretic transdermal system.
Patient is a 19-year-old right-handed white male who presents with his mother for evaluation of frequent headaches. He did not have headaches prior to two grade 1 concussions while playing football in 2012. At that time, he had a normal MRI. He has been having headaches since. He did see Kent Logan, MD in 2012, at which point he was describing weekly headaches with photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea. At that time, according to Dr. Logan's notes, there was no aura with his headaches. He noted that trying one of his mother's Imitrex helped with the headache, so he was given a prescription for 50 mg. He was also diagnosed as having a whiplash injury, at that time. He did undergo physical therapy for his neck. He also was complaining of some short-term memory problems at that time, but neuropsychology testing was negative. He has not followed up with Dr. Logan since then. More recently, his headaches have been increasing in frequency. They are located in the left retrobulbar and super orbital area, but then will spread throughout the left side of the head and then bilaterally. The pain is steady when it is milder, but throbbing when it is worse, and it is worsened with exertion. There is photophobia, phonophobia, osmophobia, nausea. They can last one to two hours. Most often, he does have
Headaches happen when there is a continuous pain in the cranial area (Huether, 2004). Moreover, headaches happen when the nerve endings in the brain detect pain. Usually the pain can originate from the nerves and muscles of the head and neck and also from the meninges or the covering of the brain. Frequent bouts of headaches can lead to lack of concentration due to the pain which can impede in productivity in the work place and also academically.
Alternative medicines have constructed many theories to determine the impact of vitalism on the body. A few of the best-known theories are bioenergetic fields and the subsets of this category. This means that humans are surrounded by a field of energy, as proposed by Mesmer in his theories. These are called the human “aura” (Patterson,1998). Each organ in the body has an electromagnetic frequency, a factor used by alternative healers to direct their specific treatment modality. When illness occurs, it is because of a struggle between positive and negative electromagnetic waves inside the body (Stenger, 1999). Alternative practitioners claim “that they can affect cures for many ills by ‘manipulating’ this field, thereby bringing the body’s ‘live energies’ into balance” (Stenger, 1999).
Migraines, which are three times more dominant in women than in men, are characterized by frequent attacks of moderate to severe, painful headaches that are often associated with nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to sound and light. This headache pain typically occurs on one side of the head and is described as pulsing, pounding or throbbing pain lasting 4-72 hours if left untreated. Migraines may also present with or without an aura (sensory warning symptoms).1
They are the definition of a migraine, probable causes of a migraine, and several treatment options for a
Furthermore, botulinum injection reduces acute, severe headaches in patients who suffer from migraines. It also decreases the signs and symptoms triggered by migraine headaches, such as vomiting, nausea, and auditory sensitivity. This injection is usually given in the head for treatment. Dr. Skorin (2004) relates that the latest medical uses of botulinum injection is in the field of headache therapy and has been found to be effective in migraine and chronic daily headache (p.
“The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) estimates that fully 90% of adults will experience one or more headaches during their life… About two-thirds of children have had a headache of one type or another by the time they reach the age of 15 years” (Pray, 2014). Making headaches one of the top complaints patients have when visiting the doctor's office. Due to the wide spectrum of headaches it is important for a patient to know when the option of self treatment with over the counter drugs is relevant, and when it is time to seek further medical care by a physician. The patient can make this decision by first knowing what kind of headache they are having, which will allow them to make the call of what to do next in terms of treatment. These are the topics that will be discussed in the following.
If an individual has never experienced a migraine headache, it is difficult to understand. Migraines are more than just a headache and can touch many areas of someone’s life. Migraines have played a significant role in how I go about each day, how I feel about myself and how I interact with people in my life. Migraines have affected my work life and have had a major influence on my personality, not to mention the impact it has made on my finances.
A migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent moderate to severe headaches often in association with a number of autonomic nervous system symptoms. (http://jnnp.bmj.com/contentI. In addition, migraines can cause moderate to severe pain and is often described as throbbing or pulsating pain on one side of the head. In addition, migraines can cause blurred vision when exposed to light and sound, nausea, and vomiting pounding. In addition, migraines can shift from one side of the head to the other. Furthermore, roughly 30 million Americans suffer from migraine headaches. In addition, women are affected more often than men, according to the National Headache Foundation. (http://www.migrainetrust.org). Additionally, migraine headaches can vary from individual to individual but they usually last from four hours to 72 hours. Some people get them several times a month, while others experience them much less often. Lastly, migraines are vascular headaches and some researchers believe that migraines occur when there are abnormal changes in the brain. And when these changes occur, inflammation causes the blood vessels to swell and press on nerves, which can result in pain. (http://www.migrainetrust.org).
Derived from several ancient healing practices, therapeutic touch is based on the theory of human energy fields - every person has an energy field that surrounds the entire body. During therapeutic touch treatment, practitioners use their hands, without actually touching the person, to re-establish a healthy energy flow. Therapeutic touch seeks to restore balance within the body while also stimulating the patient's own healing response. The practice of therapeutic touch is used worldwide in thousands of hospitals, clinics, and private practices. It is an easily learned, successful complement to other healing programs.
Migraine headache causes intense pain in one area of the head, often felt as a pulsating or throbbing sensation, which often can be follow by nausea, vomiting, light and sounds sensitivity. Migraine pain can lingers for hours, even days. At times aura such as blind spots, tingling and flashes of light might precede a migraine headache (Mayo Clinic, 2014).