Sound familiar? That dull ache creeping in mid-afternoon, the tight band across your forehead after a long week, or the headache that turns up like clockwork at the same point every month.
Here's the thing - headaches are rarely random. They're one of the body's favourite ways of whispering that something needs a bit of attention, before they build into something louder. Clues are my favourite thing to work with.
Common headache patterns
In Chinese medicine, we pay close attention to exactly where a headache sits, because the location tells us almost as much as how often it shows up. Here are some of the everyday patterns I see most often in clinic:
Forehead: This is Stomach channel territory, often linked to skipped meals, eating on the go or a heavy dinner. Dull and foggy tend to point to damp, while sharper with hunger or reflux points to heat. Sinuses and eye strain can also sit here too.
Temples and sides: the Gallbladder channel, partner to the Liver. When stress and tension builds and Liver energy rises, this is where it lands, often one-sided and throbbing. It’s the classic stress headache, and often the one that turns up the week before your period.
Back of the head and neck: the Bladder channel. It’s linked to tight shoulders, neck tension, long days at a desk, and cold wind. So during a damp cold Scottish Autumn, keeping your neck wrapped up and cosy is never a bad idea.
Top of the head: Where the Liver channel reaches. A dull, draining empty ache here, particularly when you're feeling run down or around your period, often means Blood isn’t quite reaching and nourishing the head.
Location is one clue, but how the headache feels, when it arrives and what else is happening in your life all help build the picture.
Then there's also the headache that follows your cycle, which deserves a closer look.
Hormonal headaches
This is a biggy, and if it's you, you're absolutely not alone. The sharp drop in oestrogen just before your period is a really common trigger. Perimenopause can also make headaches more unpredictable as hormone levels fluctuate.
In Chinese medicine, the headache in the run up to a period usually sits around the temples and fits a Liver Qi stagnation pattern, while a dull, draining headache during or after your period fits Blood running low.
Same symptom, potentially different patterns, and both treated quite differently. This is the beauty of Chinese Medicine.
Where acupuncture fits in
Those of you who know me will know I like evidence, and with headaches it has some of the stronger research for acupuncture. A Cochrane review in 2016 found that acupuncture could help reduce how often migraines occur. NICE guidelines (the NHS evidence checker and recommendations for treatment) also includes acupuncture as an option for preventing chronic tension-type headaches and for migraines.
Acupuncture isn't a guaranteed fix, but the evidence suggests it may be a useful treatment tool for managing headaches. In clinic I treat both the headache and the cycle behind it - easing tension before your period, then nourishing during and after.
a few gentle things to try
Keep a headache diary. Note where the pain sits, when it arrives, how you've slept, what you've eaten and where you are in your menstrual cycle. A few weeks of observations can reveal useful patterns.
Come back to the basics. Regular meals, enough water, consistent sleep and breaks from screens can all help. You don't need to overhaul your life by Monday.
Try a little gentle acupressure. Yintang, the point between your eyebrows, is a lovely place to pause, breathe slowly and apply comfortable pressure for a minute or two.
If your headaches follow your cycle
The week before your period - keep things moving and cool. Ease back on aged cheese, cured meats, wine and day-old leftovers, and enjoy fresh greens and a cup of peppermint tea
During and after your period - nourish and replenish with soups, stews, eggs, leafy greens, beetroot, lentils, and red meat or oily fish if you eat them. Heavy periods? Ask your GP to check your iron and ferritin
Small, manageable changes are a good place to start. Please don't turn this into another list of things you feel you should be doing perfectly.
Let's find your pattern
You don't have to just put up with headaches. If you'd like to chat about whether acupuncture could help you, please do mention this at your next session or get in touch - I'd love to help.