Chinese Medicine uses a detailed intake protocol to diagnose patients with migraine. My TCM colleague Dr. Anne Hardy (with her own clinic in Sachsenhausen here in Frankfurt) has devised a form with 16 questions for identifying the TCM Syndrome matching the patient’s migraine pattern. I use the these questions and TCM’s tongue & pulse diagnosis for classifying and treating a patient’s migraine.
A few things that are noteworthy when it comes to Chinese Medicine and migraine:
- For female patients: The type of migraine pattern can be substantiated by carefully analyzing the menstruation cycle characteristics.
- The pain pattern on the head can be mapped to the acupuncture channels.
- All the accompanying side effects like nausea, vomitting, diarrhea, oedema, insomnia, vision problems, increased appetite, tension under the rib cage, mood swings will be used to classify the migraine pattern.
- Any trigger factors will contribute to understanding the underlying syndrome pattern.
In this way the full strength and versatility of Chinese Medicine theory is used to assemble a tailored and focused treatment protocol.
With its ‘branch and tree’ diagnosis underlying causes can be addressed side by side with the treatment of the migraine pain.
In addition to the treatment, patients benefit from:
- advice on sleeping, rest & work patterns
- emotional coping
- nutritional advice
- Qigong exercises to boost the effect of the ongoing acupuncture & Tuina treatment
If you have questions about how Chinese Medicine can treat and help you cope with migraine attacks, please contact me.
You can book an appointment online:
or send me an E-mail with your preferred time slot: praxis@freystaetter.com
