Buddha's Healing Touch: Migraine Headaches

January 13, 2004

This excerpt is reprinted from Buddhist Healing Touch, by Ming-Sun

yen, M.D., Joseph Chiang, M.D., and Myrna Louison Chen.

Migraine headaches are triggered by sudden blood flow changes to the

visual cortex of the brain.

Simple Solution:

The blood vessels in the brain and the menings (membranes that

envelop the brain) dilate and cause surrounding tissues to swell

painfully. Typically, a migraine manifests on one side of the head

and is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and hypersensitivity

to light and sound.

Since the etiology of the migraine is not totally known, the authors

focus their acupressure treatment suggestions on preventing flare-

ups and alleviating them when they do occur.

For acupressure self-treatments in the moment, try the following:

* If the pain and throbbing are on the left side of your head, pull

your right earlobe upward and outward. Pull as many times as your

age (fifty-three times if you & #146;re fifty-three years old). Pull as

hard as you can tolerate. Ideally, you will hear the crackling & #147;put-

put & #148; sound of your earlobe in the beginning. Repeat twice a day for

two or three days.

* After pulling your earlobe, fill a basin with warm water and

immerse both of your hands in the warm water. Keep adding hot water

to maintain the water temperature for thirty minutes.

* When the migraine headache is mild, you & #146;ll need only a cold towel

on your forehead, covering your eyes. In summertime, use an ice bag.

This will cause the blood vessels to constrict, thus relieving the

symptoms.

* If the migraine is in both temples, press the roots of both ring

fingernails (Jiagung) on both hands. (Editor & #146;s note: The Jiagung is

the skin right below the nail, under the & #147;moon. & #148;) If the migraine

affects only one side, apply cutting pressure to the root of the

ring fingernail of the affected side with the fingernail of the

index finger of the other hand.

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