Asian medicine receives all credit for introducing acupuncture for migraines. Photographs of this form of treatment can look rather painful and even scary to people who have only received western medical care. Despite what one may think, the needles are placed according to a specific diagram that has been used for many, many years. The purpose of using acupuncture is to treat medical conditions without the use of medication.

When a patient walks in to receive his or her session, he or she advises the practitioner the reason for the visit. The patient needs to clarify from the start if he or she desires relief from a headache in progress or is taking part in a preventative measure. This is important because the placement of needles varies depending on type of treatment. For example, the entire neck and head region will be left alone if a headache is occurring.

Migraines can come on for a variety of reasons. Two of the biggest triggers are emotional stress and environmental irritants. Hormonal changes and food intolerance follow closely.

The trigeminal nerve within the human body is the starting point. When a change happens within this nerve, a drop in serotonin results. Serotonin is a naturally occurring chemical within all people. When serotonin falls below a certain level, other chemicals called neruropeptides are secreted. The neuropeptide secretions are responsible for causing the headache pain.

In Asian medicine a great deal of attention is placed on the parasympathetic, sympathetic, and autonomic nervous systems. To the average Joe these three terms may as well be a foreign language; however, practitioners of Asian medicine know these human nervous systems are responsible for a whole host of inflictions. In simple words, the sympathetic nervous system is in control of stress responses such as elevated heart rate. The parasympathetic system is in charge of relaxed states. Here is where it get's tricky. The sympathetic and parasympathtic nervous systems, while being recognized as separate systems on their own, combine together forming the autonomic nervous system.

Patient's who prefer alternative medicine often turn to acupuncture for relief. It has been shown that fewer days from work and school have been missed as a result of receiving this form of Asian medical care. Further, pharmaceutical drugs tend to be more costly over time as compared to acupuncture.

Migraine sufferers number in the millions. People who desire a more natural approach to health care seek out acupuncture as a medicine free form of treatment. Genuine scientific studies have reported that meridian manipulation can be just as if not more effective than doctor prescribed pharmaceuticals. Acupuncture is know different than western medicine in that it recognizes each patient is unique. A slightly different treatment may be needed for each person.

Acupuncture for migraines is a welcome change for those who cannot receive relief through other methods. The western medicine community, in general, is slowly becoming more aware and willing to work with eastern medicine practices. When both school's of thought join forces health is promoted tenfold.