Case Description
Migraines with an interesting twist and treatment with the help of Balance Method …
A 33-year-old patient, married, mother of two, and nurse in a hospital, has suffered from periodic migraines for many years.
The patient’s migraines are frequent, ranging from being almost daily to once every two weeks.
The headaches are characterized by beginning in the occipital region and moving behind the eye “as if someone is trying to dislodge the eye from the inside.” Sometimes the pain reaches the temple area, throbbing and rising above the eyebrow.
Pain is worse during menstrual cycles, when she works more at night, in winter, and when it is cold. Patient does not tolerate cold well and hates air conditioners. She also tends to catch colds easily.
She describes that sometimes she has excessive sweating in the head and face, unrelated to migraines, especially when she is nervous and tense.
Thin and empty pulse. Tongue is slightly pale, slightly trembling.
At first glance, it seems to be a classic case of Wind Rising from the Liver from its attrition and the creation of XU – an empty space. It goes in full accordance with the nature of her work that includes night shifts, work with stress and tension, and also in accordance with the nature and location of the pain, but …
My suspicion arose in light of the fact that in such a case the problems could be expected to worsen in spring / summer while she reports aggravation during winter. Also, when I asked when she started suffering from migraines, she answered age 8, so the problem started long before working night shifts (not that this helps). She did not describe trauma in childhood or a tense period, quite the opposite. The only thing she remembers is that in that winter she was very ill and had a severe cold.
A physical examination of the neck found that the SCM muscle was sensitive to palpate on the left side and in the area of connection around the GB20 UB10 points, a feeling as if the muscle was stuck almost glued to the bone without flexibility and movement.
In fact, what she describes is a type of LPF pathogen that enters the body and is trapped inside.
As the pathogen migrates towards the TAI YANG, it feels more the recoil of cold and the pain that pierces and comes as if to displace the eye (symptom description of the UB TAI YANG meridian), and more rarely the pathogen migrates towards the YANG MING where it shows signs of fever.
The proof as always comes from the physical examination. Often and especially in headaches, we see that the body tends to trap environmental pathogens in the SCM muscle so it is recommended to test the sensitivity on the muscle itself and especially in its connection areas to the vertex or clavicular area.
The therapeutic key here is to gently release the pathogen and this we do by imaging the area and protecting it from moving freely in the body. Acupuncture is supposed to resonate into the area and create a “space” where the blood can enter and bring the nourishing protective qi and Shen.
The disease is in SHAO YANG and migrates mainly to the TAI YANG and therefore both conditions should be considered. The initial structure was of JUE YIN SHAO YANG plus reference to the UB meridian when the imaging was concentrated in the GB20 UB10 height area and the projection to the eyes so that the acupuncture areas were around LIV 7-8, GB 33-34 in the foot while in the hands I preferred imaging of the palm to the head so that sensitive points were pricked around PC 6-7.2, TW 3-3.5 plus between LU10-MU GUAN.
The key to success is a re-examination of the neck muscle and the change in the feeling of the “skin sticking to the scalp”. From the first treatment there was a change in the condition and she had a week with no headaches. In the second treatment there was already a feeling of cold in the area as if “trying” to get out. At this point I instructed her to do a gentle scraping or vibrating of the area (not a massage) whenever she feels cold there.
After two or three more treatments she felt completely free in the movements of the nape and neck and had no headaches at all with a few signs of fatigue appropriate to the nature of her work. In fact, she reported the lightest winter she had gone through in years.
Returning to the clinic after a few months, she describes a big change in her life. No headaches, no sweating, no longer bothered by cold or air conditioners. For us, the physical examination found no trace of the same sensitivity or feeling of cold in the GB20, UB10 area.
Conclusions and tips – Interrogation, physical examination of the injured meridian and accurate treatment resulted in rapid treatment results. All three of these elements are important in order to understand the patient’s story in depth.
Many patients remember the change in their lives and use phrases like – “and since then nothing has been normal” or “since the whole mess started for me” they actually describe a historical “point of penetration” of their disease into the body.
Look for the place where the body “holds the disease” and don’t settle for general SHAO YANG treatment.
In many cases of imprisoned disease, it is found on the SCM muscle.
Always look for the template that works behind the template we see. This is the key to professional conduct, it is the in-depth understanding of things that leads us to act correctly, to do everything we have learned and practiced. It requires practice and experience but in the end, it will change the face of the treatment and it will allow us to produce the flow of customers that we want.
Israeli Tan Center