Case Studies

chief complaint: tension headaches

A 51 year old woman cafeteria worker complained of severe headaches for 15 years, which her physician diagnosed as related to muscle tension. The headaches had become much worse over a period of weeks before she came for treatment. She received strong pain medication from her physician, but a few times she had to seek care in the Emergency Room due to the severity of the pain. She also reported severe anxiety and agitation, "like she wanted to scream or cry all the time". She slept poorly, was extremely fatigued, and had a history of hypertension for which medication had been discontinued 6 months previously.

After 3 weekly treatments, her extreme agitation was totally relieved, and she was sleeping better. Her energy improved. She had a few mild headaches, and then a very severe episode drove her back to the ER. After the physician put her back on medication for her blood pressure, she had no more headaches at all and felt fine.

For this woman, acupuncture and conventional medicine worked together to provide excellent medical care.