Headaches Flashcards
Etiology of head aches
External: more severe, more temporary
Internal: intermittent, mild or severe
External (Repletion) Pattern
temporary, severe headache pain, unceasing headaches
History of having contracted external evil: Wind
Cold
Summerheat
Damp
Dry
Fire
Must be accompanied by aversion to cold and fever, half exterior/half interior pattern: alternating cold and heat or internal pattern w/ either heat but no cold or cold but no heat.
Headache: Internal Excess Patterns
Binding Depression of LV Qi
LV fire flaming upwards
Hyperactive Ascension of LV Yang
Phlegm
Blood Stasis
Head wind
Food/alcohol/damage headache
Binding Depression of LV Qi headache
around orbital bone + one side of head
worse w/ heavy emotion, depression, tendency to anger easily
flank pain, chest oppression
irritation
sigh a lot
if long standing may become- LV fire flaming upwards
P: wiry, tense (string-like)
LV Fire Flaming upwards headache
Strong headache, more intense at vertex
Angry out bursts, dizziness, insomnia,
red face, red eyes, ringing in ears, rashness, impatience, irascibility, burning pain of lateral costal area. May be dark urine, constipation
P: rapid, string like
T: red, yellow coat
= common migraine pattern- in men
not a subtle pattern
(use bitter herbs to descend)
Hyperactive ascension of LV Yang headache
(mixed pattern)
not enough Yin to anchor Yang
KI/LV share same root= mixed patterns:
LV yin def, LV bld def, LV/ KD yin def
(common in women around cycle =bld def)
Distending pain accompanied by manifestations of water failing to moisten wood: Dizziness, ringing in ears,
Mallor flush,
red eyes, insomnia, frequent dreaming,
5-palm heat, soreness in low back etc
T: red purple with little fur (yin def)
P: thin, rapid or deep, weak pulse bec of fluid def
nourish LV yin, LV bld def, or LV/KD yin def
“water not nourishing wood”
Blood stasis
Blood stasis- result of truama, injury,
- stabbing pain in one fixed location that continues for long time and does not subside.
- Often: dark complexion, dusky purple lips,
- T: dusky purple, stasis macules and stasis dots
- P: string-like, rough or fine and rough/choppy
Head wind
After wind exposure: piercing, boring (Cam), severe like meningitis (Deng),
- relatively severe headache that comes and goes and lasts a long time,
- eye pain, even loss of vision,
- dripping and foul smelling nasal mucous,
- nausea, dizziness,
- ringing in ears,
- numbness of head or rigidity of neck.
- Severe disease circumstances and long history of disease
- One-sided headache= one sided wind
- Pain at taiyang pts on either side of head= brain squeezing wind
- Cold and unbearable pain around Nao hu and fear of cold on nape of neck=brain wind
Phlegm
coagulated fluid- no exterior invasion
2 categories
1. Visible/substantial- respiratory tract, LUs, nasal passages, sinuses
- Invisible/insubstantial- everything else, nodules, misting apertures- energetic “gunk”, sticky, seeping into corners, can be anywhere in body
long term injury can create phlegm- something sticky/stuck (frozen shoulder)
(cf. dampness= heavier, lower down, ext path., interior)
Phlegm headache
- Turbidity obstructing clear yang: headache w/ clouding and dizziness: generated by mdle jiao, drafted up to face, fullness and oppression of chest and ST duct, vomiting phlegm rheum, heaviness and fatigue of body and limbs, seasonal allergy, food allergy
- Wind Phlegm-relatively severe headache, dizziness, eyes tightly shut, dont want to open, vomiting of phlegm rheum, sticky, agitated by wind, convulsions of limbs and body
- Phlegm Fire- headache w/ ringing in brain, one sided headache w/ fullness/oppression in chest and ST duct and spitting of phlegm rheum as well as LV fire flaming upward, hot sticky, erratic circulation
- Phlegm Turbidity Rising Counterflow (psychosis): feels as though head breaking, phlegm so thick it distorts perception of world, severe dizziness, nausea, bad shen, rambling speech, raving, mad walking, red faced, screaming,
Epidemic Disease
severe stabbing headache,
T: red w/ yellow fur
P: surging/rapid, deep/replete, slippery/rapid w/ heat both inside and out that easily enters ying level
Vacuity headache Patterns
Kidney Jing Xu
Blood Xu
Yin Xu
Qi Xu
Yang Xu
Kidney Jing Xu
Brain = Sea of Marrow
KD= Marrow
Kidney Jing headache is KD failing to nourish marrow
empty headache
dull
poor memory
rambling speech
gen’l KD def signs: loose teeth, early greying, low back/knee pains, vag d/c etc
Blood Def headache
Dull, mild
emptiness and pain,
dizziness more than pain
pale complexion w/o luster or withered yellow complexion
pale lips, nails
HT palps, insomnia, numbness of limbs
little bit of yang qi rising: cold limbs, dizziness
Yin Xu (def) headache
mild, dull
like after studying too much
yin def signs: tidal fever, night sweats, 5-palm sweats, Malar flush, dry throat, mouth, emaciation
T: red, dry, no coat,
Specific Organ Sxs:
HT= insominia
LV= dry eyes, scanty period
LU= dry cough
KD= low back/knee pain
