Q Does Korean medicine treatment actually work for tension headaches? Does it have any advantage over painkillers?
A Acupuncture has clinical evidence for preventing tension headaches and reducing their frequency. Unlike painkillers, it can correct the underlying causes (cervical structure and Qi-blood circulation) without the risk of medication-overuse headache (MOH).
Detailed Answer
Several randomized controlled trials, including a Cochrane review (2016), have confirmed that acupuncture significantly reduces the frequency of tension headache attacks, with a preventive effect lasting several months. Korean Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines also recommend acupuncture for chronic tension headache. Painkillers (NSAIDs and acetaminophen) relieve acute pain quickly, but taking them on more than 10 days per month can cause medication-overuse headache (MOH), which actually makes headaches chronic.
Dongjedang's Three-Axis Korean Medicine Treatment
- Chuna manual therapy: corrects cervical alignment imbalance and releases tension trigger points
- Pharmacopuncture: refined herbal extract injected into acupoints such as Pungji (GB20), Cheonju (BL10), and Gyeonjeong (GB21) for muscle relaxation and anti-inflammation
- Cheong-sang (heat-clearing) herbal medicine: improves the pattern of upper-body heat with lower-body cold and restores Qi-and-blood circulation
Combining these three is more effective at lowering recurrence rates than painkillers alone.
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