Migraine & Headaches

In Western medicine, headaches are characterized by pain or discomfort in the face, head, and neck. They are categorized as either primary, where the headache itself is the condition, or secondary, stemming from underlying medical issues such as neck injuries or sinus infections (Rizzoli, "The Diagnosis and Management of Primary Headache Disorders," Headache, 2021). Conversely, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) identifies headaches as resulting from five patterns of disharmony: 1) Yin deficiency, characterized by a lack of cooling and moistening functions, leading to heat and dryness; 2) Rebellious Qi, caused by stress or poor eating habits that disrupt the normal flow of Qi; 3) Liver Fire Blazing, which manifests in the upper body with symptoms like red face and dizziness; 4) Liver Yin Deficiency, resulting from depleted blood or kidney Yin; and 5) Liver or Blood Deficiencies, which can cause Liver Yang to rise (Xue, "Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Headaches," Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2016). Both paradigms offer unique diagnostic frameworks for understanding headaches.