Headaches may be an indicator of underlying health problems. Addressing the possible causes of headaches, rather than masking the symptoms of pain with painkillers that can result in other uncomfortable side effects, can provide more long-term positive results.

According to Western medicine, headaches can be divided into a variety of types that include migraine, tension-type, cluster, and medication over-use type, with the tension-type being the most common.

Migraines are by far the most debilitating type of headache. It is estimated that more than one billion people worldwide suffer from migraine headaches.

According to the location of pain in the head migraines are commonly described as supraorbital pain, pain behind the eyes, or temple pain that usually occurs on just one side of the head, though there are also bilateral, symmetrical headaches.

Migraines are neurovascular headaches, mostly caused by excessive dilation or constriction of blood vessels. They may be accompanied by visual symptoms, such as seeing flashes, bright spots, or dark spots before the onset of a headache. Some patients also experience pain in the top of the head, or pain in the neck and shoulders during the migraine attack.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the cause of a migraine is related to the status of the liver and gallbladder, usually due to stagnation of liver qi (vital energy)—an indication the energy centered around the liver is not running smoothly.

TCM has discovered that the human body has a meridian system, through which qi travels, and that the internal organs are connected to various parts of the body through the meridians. The location of a migraine is the liver meridian and the gallbladder meridian that is closely related to the liver along the route it follows.

Some time ago, we had a patient with severe migraine, all kinds of drugs prescribed by Western medicine were tried but all in vain. From a TCM perspective, this patient was diagnosed with a migraine caused by a severe stagnation of liver qi.

TCM believes that the liver meridian has functions such as regulating emotions and sleeping—thus frequent anger and emotional instability will affect the liver qi.

In the case of the aforementioned patient, the reason for the stagnation of his liver qi was that he had experienced several instances of traumatic events throughout his life—greatly agitating his emotions. These emotions accumulated as long-term suppressed resentment and anger within his mind.

Such long-term suppressed resentment and anger gradually harm one’s body, resulting in complications such as migraine, fatty liver, gallbladder disease, and in the case of women, uterine disease.

If these negative emotions are not eliminated, the patient’s liver will not recover, and the migraine will persist.

Since the root cause of migraine is stagnation of liver qi, you must first adjust your emotions to clear the stagnation. The following are a few simple methods to try:

1. Release Resentment
   A simple way to release grievances when you come across unpleasant things is to use the middle finger of the right hand to press the pulse under the thumb of the left hand while pressing the palm of the left hand to the forehead. Recall any unpleasant people, situations, and words, and allow yourself to re-experience the emotions you felt at that time. Think about it, feel it, and take deep breaths again and again, until these images and feelings slowly disappear.
2. Change Your State of Mind
   In everyday life, things frequently happen that can make us angry. We must adjust our system of belief by changing the way we perceive situations, and regard the unfair and unfortunate things we encounter as opportunities to improve ourselves and sublimate our souls. Health has four interlocking dimensions—from body shape to nutrition, then energy, and eventually the soul. Medicine that can heal the soul is what we call “spiritual practice” in traditional culture.
3.  Proper Exercise
   Relaxing exercise such as Tai Chi or Qigong, especially when practiced outdoors will have the effect of soothing the liver and regulating qi. Even simple walking can have a soothing effect on our mental state.
4. Relax
   For the romantics—drinking a cup of freshly made tea and listening to music can work wonders in relieving stress, eliminating fatigue, and pacifying the body and mind. You might enjoy listening to Chinese zither or heptachord music which is especially soothing to the soul.