Can Acupuncture Treat Migraines and Headaches?

From temple pain and sinus pressure to stress-induced migraines, learn how acupuncture for headaches is more than just symptom management.

When comes to headache or migraine relief, most of us tend to think in terms of symptom management: take a pain reliever, avoid your triggers, drink more water perhaps, and just hope that it passes quickly. And while there can certainly be a time and place for medication, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) asks a deeper question:

Why is this headache happening in the first place?

At our Houston acupuncture clinic, we frequently see patients who have struggled with chronic headaches or migraines for years before discovering acupuncture. Many have tried countless medications, special diets, supplements and even brain scans and yet continue experiencing recurring symptoms, because the underlying imbalance hasn’t been fully addressed.

One of the things that makes TCM so unique is that we don’t simply treat “headaches” as single condition. We look at where exactly the pain is occurring, how it feels, when it happens, and what other symptoms are occurring alongside it. These details help us identify the root pattern causing the issue so we can create a more individualized treatment plan.

This is why acupuncture for migraines can look very different from person to person — even when two patients carry the same Western diagnosis.

The Six Main Types of Headaches in Traditional Chinese Medicine

While Western medicine generally recognizes three types of headaches — tension, cluster and migraines — in TCM, there are six main types of headaches. Different headache locations often correspond with different organ systems and meridian connections in the body. Here are six of the most common headache patterns we see in clinic:

1) Tai Yang Headaches (Back of Head / Tension Headaches)

Tai Yang headaches are typically felt at the back of the head, neck, and upper shoulders and often closely resemble what many people know as tension headaches. These headaches tend to feel tight, constricted, and stiff, as though the body is physically bracing.

In TCM, Tai Yang corresponds with the Bladder and Small Intestine channels, which travel along the back of the body and neck. Pain often creeps upward from the shoulders into the occipital region of the head, creating tension through the upper back, neck, and scalp.

Common Symptoms: Neck stiffness, shoulder tightness, fatigue, chills, feeling worse in cold weather

These headaches are commonly associated with:

• Stress and chronic muscle tension

• Poor posture or prolonged screen time

• Exposure to wind or cold

• Adrenal depletion and exhaustion

• Cold or flu onset

From a TCM perspective, Tai Yang headaches are often considered “cold” in nature and typically respond well to warmth and circulation. This is why many people instinctively crave hot showers, heating pads, warm baths, or warm herbal teas when these headaches arise.

What Helps: Hot showers, heating pads, acupuncture, stretching, ginger or cinnamon tea, nervous system support

2) Shao Yang Headaches (Temple / Migraine Headaches)

Shao Yang headaches are classically felt on the sides of the head, temples, around the ears, or behind the eyes. These are often the throbbing, one-sided headaches many people immediately think of when they hear the word “migraine.”

In TCM, Shao Yang corresponds with the Gallbladder channel and is associated with qi stagnation. These headaches are frequently triggered by stress, emotional tension, hormonal fluctuations, or nervous system dysregulation.

Common Symptoms: Nausea, dizziness, light sensitivity, irritability, jaw tension, alternating hot and cold sensations, bitter taste in the mouth

These headaches are commonly associated with:

• Chronic stress and emotional tension

• Hormonal fluctuations

• Liver and Gallbladder imbalance

• Qi stagnation and internal heat

• Irregular eating or sleep patterns

From a TCM perspective, Shao Yang headaches occur when stress and tension create pressure and heat that rise upward into the head. Movement and circulation are often key parts of treatment.

What Helps: Regular exercise, stress reduction, stretching, acupuncture, and supporting the body’s natural detoxification pathways

3) Yang Ming Headaches (Frontal / Sinus Headaches)

Yang Ming headaches are typically located across the forehead, eyebrows, sinus region, or front of the head. These headaches often feel heavy, pressurized, intense, or hot.

In TCM, Yang Ming corresponds with the Stomach and Large Intestine channels. These headaches are often related to excess heat in the channels, gut inflammation, sinus congestion, dehydration, or digestive dysfunction.

Common Symptoms: Facial pressure, sinus congestion, thirst, red eyes, brain fog, constipation, feverish sensations

These headaches are commonly associated with:

• Sinus congestion

• Inflammation in the digestive track

• Dehydration

• Constipation

• Excess heat in the body

  
  

From a TCM perspective, heat and congestion rise upward into the face and head through the corresponding channels, creating pressure and pain.

What Helps: Hydration, sinus support, reducing inflammatory foods, supporting digestion, acupuncture, food therapy

4) Tai Yin Headaches (Heavy / Foggy Headaches)

Tai Yin headaches are often experienced as dull, heavy, foggy, or pressure-like pain affecting the whole head. Patients frequently describe feeling mentally cloudy, sluggish, or weighed down.

In TCM, Tai Yin corresponds with the Spleen and Lung systems and is associated with dampness and phlegm accumulation caused by weak digestion.

Common Symptoms: Brain fog, fatigue, bloating, loose stools, sinus congestion, heaviness in the body

These headaches are commonly associated with:

• Weakened immune system

• Dairy, sugar, and processed foods

• Damp weather

• Poor gut health

• Chronic fatigue and low energy

From a TCM perspective, when digestion becomes weakened, dampness and phlegm can accumulate and rise upward into the head, creating heaviness and congestion.

What Helps: Warm cooked foods, reducing dairy and sugar, acupuncture, supporting gut health and digestion with food therapy

5) Shao Yin Headaches (Deep / Empty Headaches)

Shao Yin headaches tend to feel deeper within the skull and have an empty, depleted quality. Pain can radiate into the face, teeth and even throat. These headaches are common in people who have been operating in survival mode or burnout for long periods of time.

In TCM, Shao Yin corresponds with the Kidney and Heart systems and reflects deep depletion of the body’s reserves and nervous system. This can include deficiencies of qi, blood, yin or yang.

Common Symptoms: Extreme fatigue, insomnia, low back pain, cold hands and feet, brain fog, exhaustion after minimal activity

These headaches are commonly associated with:

• Chronic stress and burnout

• Sleep deprivation

• Overwork

• Long-term illness

• Postpartum depletion

From a TCM perspective, these headaches are deficiency-type headaches and often require nourishment and restoration rather than aggressive clearing techniques.

What Helps: Rest, sleep, nourishing foods, acupuncture, nervous system support, rebuilding energy reserves

6) Jue Yin Headaches (Vertex / Migraine Headaches)

Jue Yin headaches are classically located at the very top of the head, though they may

also radiate into the eyes or sides of the head. These headaches can range from dull and lingering to sharp, stabbing, and intensely migraine-like.

In TCM, Jue Yin corresponds with the Liver system and is often associated with liver blood deficiency, liver qi stagnation, or what TCM calls "rebellious qi rising upward."

Common Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, visual disturbances, sensitivity to stress, cold hands and feet

These headaches are commonly associated with:

• Chronic stress and nervous system dysregulation

• Hormonal imbalances

• Blood deficiency

• Liver qi stagnation

• Longstanding migraine patterns

Many chronic migraines ultimately involve some degree of Jue Yin imbalance, particularly when stress, hormonal shifts, blood deficiency, and nervous system dysregulation have been present for a long time. From a TCM perspective, the body loses its ability to properly anchor energy, causing symptoms to rise upward into the head.

What Helps: Acupuncture, stress reduction, grounding exercises, nourishing blood, improving circulation and balancing hormones

Natural Approaches for Headache Relief

If needle-phobia is keeping you from trying acupuncture for migraines, there are several other supportive therapies you can try at home for natural headache relief, including acupressure, essential oils and herbal teas.

Acupressure Points for Headaches

Applying gentle pressure for 30–60 seconds while breathing deeply may help relieve tension and improve circulation. Try the following points:

BL10 (Bladder 10)

Located at the base of the skull on either side of the spine. Helpful for neck tension, occipital headaches, and stiffness.

GB20 (Gallbladder 20)

Located below the occiput in the hollows at the base of the skull. One of the most commonly used points for headaches, migraines, dizziness, and neck tension.

BL2 (Bladder 2)

Located at the inner edge of the eyebrows. Often used for frontal headaches, sinus pressure, and eye strain.

LI4 (Large Intestine 4)

Located between the thumb and index finger. Commonly used for pain relief, headaches, facial tension, and stress. (Avoid during pregnancy unless directed by your practitioner.)

YinTang

Located between the eyebrows. Helpful for stress, anxiety, frontal headaches, and calming the nervous system.

GB41 (Gallbladder 41)

Located on the top of the foot between the fourth and fifth toes. Often used for temporal headaches, migraines, and hormonal tension patterns.

Essential Oils for Headaches

Essential oils may provide temporary relief when used properly. Always dilute essential oils with a carrier oil before applying to the skin. Try the following oils:

Peppermint Oil

Cooling and invigorating. Helpful for tension headaches and frontal pressure. Apply diluted oil to the temples, forehead, and back of the neck.

Lavender Oil

Calming for the nervous system and often helpful for stress-related headaches and migraines. Can be applied topically (diluted) or diffused before sleep.

Rosemary Oil

Traditionally used to improve circulation and mental clarity. May help with tension, fatigue-related headaches, and brain fog.

Herbal Teas for Headache Support

Peppermint Tea

Helpful for tension, digestion-related headaches, and sinus congestion.

Ginger Tea

Supports circulation, digestion, nausea relief, and warming the body in cold-type headaches.

Chamomile Tea

Calming to the nervous system and supportive for stress-induced headaches.

Lavender Tea

May help calm anxiety, tension, and support relaxation before bed.

Feverfew Tea

Traditionally used as a natural support for migraine prevention and circulation.

Headache Relief in Houston

If you’re searching for natural headache relief in Houston, it’s important to remember that your headaches are not random — and they are not all the same.

Your body is always communicating through symptoms. In Chinese medicine, headaches are viewed less as isolated problems and more as signals pointing toward underlying patterns of imbalance.

Whether your migraines stem from stress, hormonal changes, digestive dysfunction, nervous system dysregulation, inflammation, or long-term depletion, acupuncture offers a holistic framework for understanding why they may be happening in the first place.

At Nguyen Wellness + Recovery, we take an individualized approach to headache and migraine treatment using acupuncture, herbal medicine, nervous system support, and lifestyle recommendations tailored to your unique constitution and symptoms.