Headaches: Differentiating Areas of Pain and Remedies

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each organ and bodily system is connected by meridians and channels, or pathways, through which Qi and blood flow. When a headache presents itself, the location of the pain can indicate which channel is experiencing stagnation or deficiency, and can reveal which corresponding organ is struggling. The location of your headache, whether it be frontal, temporal, vertex, whole head, or behind the eyes, creates a map that can diagnose and treat the root cause of your pain. Factors like stress, diet, emotions, or external factors like wind and cold can manifest as pain along pathways. Proper treatments like tea, diet, and acupressure can help reduce pain while acupuncture, reiki, massage, and sauna use can be used to address underlying causes and prevent future headaches from returning.

Acupressure points for headaches

Types of Headaches

Frontal: The pain of a frontal headache is above the eyes and across the forehead, and is associated with the Yangming channels and the stomach and large intestine. Headaches like this are often caused by stomach heat or stomach fire, which means there is stagnation in the digestive system that is rising upwards towards the head. Poor diet is a common factor, with alcohol, spicy or greasy food, processed foods or sugar, or irregular eating habits making it harder for the stomach and intestines to properly digest, causing heat. Other symptoms include heat in the face, excess thirst, hunger, bloating, irregular bowel movements, or acid reflux. If the pain is a result of a Stomach Qi or blood deficiency, the pain may be dull and persistent, and is worse when hungry or after eating, and is often paired with fatigue and loss of appetite. To treat frontal headaches, acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, diet, and lifestyle changes can help aid digestion and reduce stomach and intestinal heat. Using digestive aid like bitters before meals and assist in stronger digestion and drinking peppermint or chrysanthemum tea can help with feelings of heat in the face and sinuses. While there may be cravings for ice water and cold foods, eating foods that are lightly cooked will aid in easier digestion. If there is regular bloating after meals, take some ginger in the form of tea or crystalized form to warm up digestion and reduce bloating. Because this is also in the area of sinuses, focusing on strong digestion and liver health can relieve some of the inflammation that builds up from allergies. ACUPRESSURE POINTS: large intestine 4, yin tang, ren 12, stomach 8, sanjiao 5.

Temporal: Temporal headaches, one of the most commonly treated types, are painful on one or both sides of the temple, corresponding to the Shaoyang and gallbladder channel that runs right along the sides of your head, and are related to the liver and gallbladder. The primary trigger of temporal headache is stress, since liver Qi stagnation from chronic stress and emotions generates heat in the liver system. This creates a throbbing sensation that worsens with continued stress, accompanied by neck and shoulder tension, irritability, and light sensitivity. To treat temporal headaches, try acupuncture to circulate blood to your neck and shoulders, massage for pent up muscle tension, reiki for emotional holdings, or infrared sauna for circulation and relaxation. Stress reducing activities such as exercise, stretching, and meditation practices can help manage the fight or flight response responsible for chronic muscle tension. Staying hydrated is also important, but too many iced or cold beverages can make muscle tension worse, so room temperature or hot water are more helpful. Eating cooked foods also helps with hydrating the body while reducing digestive stress on the body. Get regular quality sleep, and do gentle shoulder and neck exercises to increase blood flow without over exerting. Teas that can aid in tension headaches include feverfew, lavender and lemon balm. ACUPRESSURE POINTS: gallbladder 8, sanjiao 5, large intestine 4, gallbladder 20, stomach 8.

Vertex: Vertex headaches are pain right at the top of the head, corresponding to the Jueyin liver channel. When a vertex headache occurs, it typically means that there is a liver blood or liver yin deficiency, meaning that blood and yin are not sufficient enough to nourish and reach the top of the channel, resulting in pain. These headaches are most commonly seen in women during menstruation or menopause, the chronically fatigued, the malnourished, and those who have experienced prolonged emotional or physical stress. The pain is dull rather than throbbing, and other symptoms include dizziness, blurred vision, dry eyes, or dysregulated sleep. Treatment includes reconnecting Yin and Yang to stabilize the body, herbal formulas that tonify Yin and Yang, and nourishing the blood to make sure there is enough to fully circulate to the top of the head. A diet rich in nourishing cooked foods and low on caffeine, alcohol and raw foods will also aid the body in recovering from stress. Teas with stinging nettle, feverfew, and green tea can help nourish blood and yin while encouraging body fluids and stimulating mental clarity.
ACUPRESSURE POINTS: du 20, large intestine 4, stomach 8, gallbladder 20, ren 12.

Occipital: The pain of an occipital headache occurs at the back of the head and neck, and corresponds to the Taiyang channel, or bladder channel, that runs up the back of the neck to the scalp. These headaches have two common causes in TCM, the first being an external invasion, like wind-cold or wind-heat entering the body through the back of the neck, blocking the Taiyang channel. Exposure to wind or cold air creates headaches that are often paired with a stiff neck, chills, and symptoms of a cold or the flu. The second common cause is kidney deficiency. The kidney and bladder share the Taiyang system, and symptoms like a dull, persistent headache accompanied by lower back pain, fatigue, tinnitus, or poor memory often point to a kidney deficiency instead of an external invasion of wind-cold. Chronic neck tension also often points to bladder channel stagnation. To treat an occipital headache, the neck and scalp need to be warmed up, like in a nice hot shower, a warm bath, or with a heating pack on the back of the neck. Acupuncture can release muscle tension, improve blood and Qi circulation, reduce stress and anxiety, and can address underlying imbalances like fatigue. It is also important to maintain good posture while sitting, take frequent breaks to stretch and walk around, practice deep breathing or meditation, practice yoga, get 7-9 hours of sleep each night, and manage stress levels. If there is a tight neck and early signs of catching a cold, drink cinnamon tea to warm up circulation. Drink peppermint tea and herbs that reduce stress like chamomile and lavender. ACUPRESSURE POINTS: gallbladder 20, small intestine 3.

Whole Head: A whole head headache covers the whole head in a heavy, foggy sensation of pressure rather than a sharp pain, which is characteristic of dampness and phlegm blocking Yang from rising to the top of the head. TCM says that Yang Qi is responsible for nourishing and rejuvenating the head, but when dampness from spleen deficiency and poor diet obstructs the upward movement of Yang, the head becomes heavy and foggy. Headaches like this are not intensely painful, but are ever present, paired with other symptoms like brain fog, the inability to concentrate, and heavy limbs. To treat this type of headache, the proper diet is crucial for lasting relief. Over consumption of sugar, cold and raw foods, dairy, and alcohol hinders the spleen’s ability to transform and transport fluids, which creates dampness. This type of dampness also creates bloating, diarrhea, and fatigue. Drink teas with ginger, dried citrus peel, and pu-erh. ACUPRESSURE POINTS: ren 12, large intestine 4, and yin tang.

Behind the eyes: When there is a deep, aching pressure behind the eyes or in the eye socket is often associated with a liver blood deficiency. If liver blood is insufficient to nourish the eyes, then there is an aching pain behind the eyes from lack of blood. This type of headache is common for people who spend long hours looking at screens, reading, doing detailed work, or anything else that is visually demanding. Pain worsens throughout the day from eye fatigue, improves with rest, and other symptoms include dry or tired eyes, blurred vision, nausea, tinnitus, low appetite, and fatigue. Treatment includes regulating gallbladder function to ensure the smooth flow of Qi, reduce inflammation by stimulating the immune system with acupuncture, and release neck, shoulder, and upper back muscle tension to improve blood circulation. Acupuncture can release muscle tension, reduce stress, and stimulate blood circulation, which helps relieve the pressure pain behind the eyes. To prevent these headaches, drinking nettle tea and applying warm compresses on the neck and eyes at night can help. ACUPRESSURE POINTS: du 20, stomach 8, yin tang.

Whether your headache is behind your eyes or at your temples, the relentless pain and discomfort can be alleviated through diet changes, lifestyle changes, acupuncture,and chinese herbs. Though headaches are common, they do not have to be something you experience chronically. Understanding your symptoms and location of your headache pain can point to a deeper underlying issue with a connected organ, and treating that issue can alleviate headache pain for good.

ACUPRESSURE POINTS KEY:

yin tang: located above and between the eyes (3rd eye)
du 20: on top of the head at the highest point
Bilateral points (press on both sides of the body)
stomach 8: at the corner of the forehead, one index finger length away center of forehead hairline
gallbladder 8: a slight depression just above the apex of the ear (fold ear in half to find apex)
gallbladder 20: below the occiput in a hollow halfway between the spine and base of the ear
large intestine 4: on the top of the hand in the middle of the web between the thumb and index finger
sanjiao 5: on the top of the forearm three fingers wide distance from wrist in depression between radius and ulna
small intestine 3: on the outer border of the hand, make a loose fist and find point where skin puckers
ren 12: on the abdominal midline one hand width above belly button (tender maybe small hard spot)

References

● https://www.meandqi.com/knowledge-base/conditions/headaches

● https://thedaohealth.com.au/tcm-map-what-your-headache-location-reveals/

● https://www.mayway.com/blogs/articles/headache

● https://cherryblossomhealingarts.com/chronic-and-acute-pain/traditional-chinese-medicine-for-headaches-and-migraines

● https://josephcoccagna.com/blog-1/tcm-headache-types-location-meaning

● https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/acupressure-sequences-frontal-headaches

● https://www.morningsideacupuncturenyc.com/blog/best-acupuncture-points-for-headaches

● https://wshcare.org/headaches-in-chinese-medicine/

● https://balancepointokanagan.com/stomach-heat/

● https://www.garudahealth.org/effective-headaches-migraines-relief-with-tcm/

● https://ibaclinic.com/blog/tension-headaches/

● https://ibaclinic.com/blog/headaches-behind-eyes/

Late Summer Digestion Reset

Late summer is the fifth season in TCM, when the summer days are still long, but the chill of fall is right around the corner. Associated with the Earth element, this between season is focused on emotional and physical grounding, nourishment, and balance. The spleen, which transforms food and drink into the Qi that fuels our bodies, and the stomach, which receives nourishment and begins the process of digestion, must be properly nourished in order to efficiently digest and for overall health and wellness to flourish. When the spleen and stomach are in balance, you will feel energized and focused. When imbalanced, symptoms of dampness like bloating, indigestion, inflammation, fatigue, and brain fog will overwhelm the mind and body. Symptoms of dampness occur from excessive consumption of processed sweets, alcohol, stress, little exercise, and prolonged exposure to a cold or wet environment. With a proper diet, exercise, herbs, and acupuncture, you can bring the spleen and stomach back into harmony so you can enjoy the last few warm days of summer in comfort and peace.

Ailments and Cures
Common ailments associated with an imbalanced spleen and stomach include bloating, acid reflux, belching, constipation, diarrhea, over thinking, worry, fatigue, brain fog, fluid retention, and congestion. To harmonize the spleen and stomach, you must support proper digestion through eating the right foods and herbs, exercising, and acupuncture.

Meals should be lightly cooked and eaten while warm, like steamed vegetables or brothy soups. Yellow foods like sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, and butternut and acorn squash are plentiful this time of year, and are high in vitamin A which helps improve immune function. Other easy to digest foods include peaches, beets, parsnips, ginger, millet, rice, oats, barley, chickpeas, lentils, peas, pears, figs, dates, and green tea are all foods that are high in fiber and vitamins. The spleen can also cause sweet cravings, so it is important to eat full sweets like fruits and vegetables with a naturally sweet flavor instead of processed sweets like cookies and candy. It is best to avoid icy drinks, excess dairy, fried foods, and highly processed foods, all of which cause dampness by being hard to properly digest. Herbs like Liu Jun Zi Wan, Ping Wei Wan, and Shen Ling Bai Zhi Pian strengthens the spleen Qi, resolves dampness, tonifies the stomach and spleen, supports digestion, and relieves symptoms like diarrhea and fatigue.

Gentle exercise like walking, qigong, or yoga help move Qi, move stagnation, dispel dampness, strengthen the core, and boost energy levels. While at rest, nurture your mind through journaling, meditation, or making space for quiet moments with the intention of easing worry and restoring mindfulness.

Acupuncture is a gentle but effective treatment for expelling dampness. By stimulating spleen and stomach points, acupuncture can improve digestion, calm inflammation, and aid in nutrient absorption. Points on your head can relieve brain fog and fatigue, promoting clarity and restfulness. Heart and liver points can help alleviate emotional symptoms of dampness like worry and over thinking. An acupuncturist may also use your tongue to diagnose dampness. If your tongue is pale with a thick white or yellow coating, tooth marks along the edge, and swelling, it is likely you have an imbalance causing dampness. A healthy tongue will be light pink with a thin coating and no teeth marks.

This season between seasons is essentially a bridge between summer’s outward expansion of Yang energy and fall’s inward draw of Yin. The next season is associated with the Metal element, the lungs, and the large intestine. The strength of digestion that the Earth element, spleen, and stomach brings to the next season supports the lungs and liver. The more we nourish our bodies in late summer, the healthier we will feel moving into fall. A proper diet of easy to digest foods like squash, sweet fruits, and lightly cooked meals, gentle exercise like yoga, herbal supplements, and acupuncture are all accessible treatments for the sluggish symptoms of late summer. Grab a glass of room temperature water, a nice blank journal, and find a shady seat to prepare your body and mind for the season to come. The more rest and nourishment you get now will mean a healthier fall.

References

● https://cherryblossomhealingarts.com/tcm/the-fifth-season-in-tcm

● https://encircleacupuncture.com/blog/chinese-medicine-fifth-season

● https://www.mayway.com/blogs/articles/late-summer-the-earth-element

● https://forestparkwellness.com/acupuncture-can-help-regulate-your-body-boost-energy-and-tame-allergies/

● https://opencarecommunity.com/blog/dampness-in-the-body-tcm-explained

Urticaria: Natural Treatment + Prevention

Natural Treatment for Hives

The itchy red welts known as urticaria, or hives, are a common bodily reaction to either allergen stimuli or chronic underlying health issues. They can affect anyone, and can have a negative impact on daily life. TCM tries to identify the underlying health conditions that cause hives, and offers natural treatments like diet changes, herbs, and lifestyle practices to help ease the unpleasant symptoms. In Western medicine, hives are most commonly treated with an antihistamine, sometimes accompanied by a corticosteroid if the antihistamine causes symptoms like fatigue, headache, or drowsiness. If that doesn’t work, then immunosuppressants may be prescribed. This treatment plan treats all hives as an allergy, whereas TCM attempts to dig deeper and understand the root cause of the hives by looking at the patient’s overall health. The strength and health of the patient’s Wei Qi, or protective defenses, like the lungs and skin, are observed to see which external pathogenic factors have taken root in the body. Wind and heat are two common types of factors that cause acute and chronic hives, and treating the symptoms associated with these factors can eliminate the body’s stress response that produces hives.

Types of Hives

Acute Urticaria:
Acute hives are an immediate reaction to allergens introduced to the body through ingestion or skin contact. Immune cells in the skin called mast cells react by releasing histamine, creating welt-like hives. They manifest as raised welts that can suddenly appear anywhere on your body. The welts are typically red, but white in the center if pressed, are persistently itchy, and are often accompanied by painful swelling around the eyes, lips, and throat. It is not uncommon for the cause of these hives to be unidentifiable, making them difficult to manage and treat.

Triggers: Foods like nuts, shellfish, and some fruits, medications like antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or pain relievers, environmental factors like sun exposure, heat, cold, pollen, animal dander, or latex, and physical factors like stress, infections, or tight clothing.

Chronic Urticaria:
Chronic hives can last longer than six weeks and are not triggered by discernable allergen factors, making identifying the cause more difficult. While chronic hives share many similarities with acute hives, like itchiness and raised red welts, they differ in persistence and impact. These hives reappear frequently over months or years, they can change size and shape, they move around to different parts of the body, and can flare up due to heat, stress, or physical activity, complicating daily life. Acute hives are a result of external environmental factors, whereas chronic hives tend to be the result of internal health imbalances.

Triggers:
An autoimmune response that causes the body’s immune system to attack healthy tissue believing it to be harmful, chronic infections like bacterial or viral can underlie persistent hives, underlying health conditions like thyroid disease or lupus, or idiopathic causes which are spontaneous hives with no identifiable cause.

Pathogenic Factors
The concept of Wei Qi refers to the body’s protective defenses, which stem mainly from the lungs and skin. When Wei Qi is weakened, pathogenic factors enter the body, causing illness. Wind and Heat are common factors that contribute to the presence of hives. Hives are recognized as the body’s way of releasing built up wind or heat stagnation through the skin, seeking to restore balance. While uncomfortable, the presence of hives can actually indicate deeper inner healing is occurring.

Wind Heat/Wind Cold:
Wind heat hives are acute, meaning they come and go, as if blown by the wind. They are often itchy, and correspond to a triggered immune response to stress, allergens, or temperature changes. They may be accompanied by a fever or sore throat. Wind cold hives are pale pink welts that get worse with exposure to cold, accompanied by chills. Treatment focuses on expelling wind, clearing heat in wind heat cases, or warming in wind cold cases, and restoring balance between Wei Qi and the skin.

Blood Heat/Stagnation:
Blood heat hives are red, warm, and inflamed, reflecting internal stress and stagnation. If there is too much inflammation in the body, any exposure to allergens or triggers overwhelms the body, resulting in a breakout. Liver stagnation can build up when the body is under prolonged stress, preventing the body from processing minor irritants. When overtaxed, the liver and kidneys struggle to filter toxins out of the body, so the body will try to expel excess heat through the skin, resulting in hives. Treatment focuses on nourishing the blood, expelling wind, draining dampness, and bringing the internal organs into balance. Clearing stagnation, circulating blood, and restoring Qi helps reduce flare-ups because the body does not have to work so hard to properly process internal and external irritants.

Remedies

Diet:
To calm an overactive immune response, reduce inflammation, and support the immune system, eat foods that are cooling and detoxifying. Add in fresh fruits and vegetables, especially those with a high water content, like watermelon and cucumber. Try to avoid spicy or greasy foods that may heat your body and exacerbate symptoms. Herbal teas like chamomile and peppermint soothe the system. Drink plenty of water to eliminate dryness within the body. Eat plenty of anti-inflammatory foods like leafy greens, berries, omega-3 rich fish

• Wind-Heat: cucumber, watermelon, chrysanthemum tea
  

• Damp-Heat: adzuki beans, job's tears (yi yi ren), pumpkin
  

• Blood Heat: celery, mung beans, white fungus
  

Acupuncture:
The practice of acupuncture is a gentle but powerful therapy that restores balance to the body by circulating Qi and clearing stagnation. This practice increases blood circulation, releases muscle tension, calms the nervous system, relieves pain and inflammation, promotes better sleep, aids digestion, improves mood, and boosts overall vitality. The clearing of stagnation allows the body to better process any irritants or allergens that may stress the body, preventing the formation of hives. To treat hives, the specific points that are stimulated clear heat and cool the blood, and expel external wind and heat to boost the Wei Qi by supporting the immune system. Cupping is also helpful in treating hives because it exfoliates the skin, draws out toxins, and cools down an outbreak. Acupuncture and cupping are often paired with herbs to strengthen the lungs and the liver, which strengthen the Wei Qi.

Practices to relieve and prevent hives:
It is important to recognize your personal triggers and minimize exposure. This may look like changing your diet, reducing stress, practicing yoga and mindfulness, and paying attention to the weather and how it could affect your skin. Choose clothing that does not irritate your skin, avoid food allergens, and use organic, fragrance free skin care products that are gentle on your skin. Adapt to the seasons; in winter, the body is meant to experience cold, but instead people keep their heat on all season, creating a consistently warm environment. This leads to dry air, causing people without any allergies to feel itchy and dry.

Another common practice in the winter is to take long, hot showers that can actually destroy the skin’s protective layers, causing it to be raw and easily irritated. To avoid this, take shorter showers that are warm instead of hot, and allow some exposure to the cold without catching a chill. Walking keeps your blood circulating while also reducing stress, and quality sleep is essential to rebuild Wei Qi.

Hives are uncomfortable, but preventable if you understand the root cause and treat them accordingly. Learn your triggers, whether they are environmental like cold or hot weather, or internal, like blood or liver stagnation. Their longevity is a sign of their cause, and the first step in creating a customized treatment plan. Try acupuncture to clear wind and heat, and support your body with proper diet, rest, and relaxation. Hives are a sign of an overtaxed system, so relief comes from bolstering Wei Qi and restoring harmony.

Resources

● https://enokclinic.com/blog/tcm-hives-understanding-and-managing-hives-with-traditional-chinese-medicine/

● https://sieam.edu/research-blog/2020/1/20/urticaria

● https://eraneven.com/2011/06/30/two-cases-of-wind-rash-urticaria/

● https://www.petersheng.com/hives/

● https://tangsclinical.com/blog/understanding-two-different-types-of-hives-from-a-tcm-perspective-acute-vs-chronic/

● https://myartofwellness.com/how-to-treat-hives-with-acupuncture-and-tcm/

● https://olakinohealthcenter.com/blog/---calming-overactive-immune-responses--traditional-chinese-medicine-insights-on-rashes-and-hivese

● https://www.entandallergy.com/blog/2026/march/cold-and-heat-urticaria-what-triggers-