Sinus headaches are triggered when the mucous membrane of the sinus cavities in your face get inflamed. If you suffer from sinus headaches, you get a deep, dull pain in front of your head or face (at specific points such as behind the eyes or side of the nose). The pain gets worse if you moved your head physically, especially while bending down or leaning over.
Sinus headaches pain peaks during the morning hours after waking up and it generally subsides by after noon. And quite often, the pain starts when you get a bad cold.
Conventional treatments for sinus headaches usually involve antibiotic cure and surgery in acute cases. More recently, it has been found that acupuncture is an effective complementary and alternative therapy for sinus headaches.
Acupuncture is the one of the oldest and widely used holistic medical practices in the world. It is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The term ?acupuncture? stands for a variety of procedures that involves stimulation of anatomical points on the body using different techniques. The most popularly studied technique involves inserting extremely thin metal needles at the acupuncture points. These needles are then either manipulated by electric signals or bare hands. This procedure does not involve injections of drugs or medical substances. You usually do not feel any pain and sometimes you do not even realize that a needle has been inserted into your body.
Now here is how acupuncture relieves sinus headaches. Modern science believes that acupuncture brings about biochemical changes in the blood serum to stabilize serotonin ? a vital chemical that acts as a messenger between the spinal cord and brain ? and stimulates the release of endorphins (human body?s natural painkiller) to alleviate the pain. Further, it activates the parasympathetic nervous system to relieve stress, anxiety and muscle tension, and promotes cerebral circulation so that the affected region gets more oxygenated blood supply and nutrients.
Acupuncture for sinus headaches is usually prescribed based on a detailed diagnosis of your medical condition. Your practitioner has to first determine what the imbalances in your body are before he decides a course of treatments.
If you wish to consider having acupuncture for sinus headaches, you will need to find an expert acupuncturist. Check with the local acupuncture association to get some referrals. The better skilled your acupuncturist is, the more effective you will find this alternative and complementary treatment.
