Headaches and migraines
Headaches are patterns. Location, timing, triggers, and associated symptoms matter more than the label. I focus on what is driving the headache cycle, then treat the driver and the pathway that the pain is travelling through.
What keeps headaches going
Headache cycles are commonly maintained by tension pathways, circulation that is stuck, or an internal state that rises too easily under stress, poor sleep, food triggers, or hormonal shifts. I look for the main driver and treat it first.
Pathway tension
Neck and shoulder tension can feed pain up into the head. This often shows as headaches that start in the neck, sit behind an eye, or worsen with posture, screens, or stress holding.
Rising patterns
Some headaches feel like pressure rising: throbbing, pulsing, or pushing sensations, often linked to stress, heat, agitation, or irregular sleep. The first step is to settle the rise.
Underlying depletion
When recovery is low, headaches are easier to trigger and harder to resolve. This often overlaps with fatigue, poor sleep, dizziness, and light-headedness.
What I assess in the first visit
The key is precision. The headache pattern tells you what system is involved and what pathway is irritated. I map the pattern and confirm it through tongue and pulse.
Headache pattern mapping
- Location: temples, behind the eye, forehead, crown, base of skull, one-sided vs both sides.
- Timing: morning, afternoon, night, after sleep, before sleep, menstrual timing where relevant.
- Quality: throbbing, pressure, stabbing, heavy, tight band, burning, pulsing.
- Triggers: stress, screens, posture, dehydration, missed meals, certain foods, sleep disruption.
- Associated symptoms: nausea, dizziness, light sensitivity, tinnitus, sinus pressure, palpitations.
System checks
- Neck and shoulder tension patterns and mobility restrictions.
- Sleep depth and waking pattern (especially early waking and unrefreshing sleep).
- Digestion: reflux, bloating, constipation, appetite rhythm.
- Stress load and emotional reactivity.
- Tongue and pulse to confirm the underlying driver.
How treatment is structured
Headache treatment is usually staged: settle the driver, open the pathway, then build stability so triggers stop lighting the fuse.
Stage 1: Settle the driver
Reduce rising and irritation, settle the nervous system response, and reduce the internal conditions that predispose you to headaches.
Stage 2: Release the pathway
Reduce neck and shoulder tension, improve circulation through the head and face pathways, and restore freer movement and drainage.
Stage 3: Prevent recurrence
Strengthen resilience so the same triggers do not repeatedly produce the same headache. This is where the headache cycle breaks.