- Aetiology
- Channels
- Diagnosis
- Identification of patterns
- Treatment.
Aetiology
Any of the causes of disease normally considered in Chinese Medicine can play a part in the
aetiology of headaches.
Constitution
The constitutional body condition inherited from our parents depends on three factors:
- The parents' health in general
- The parents' health at the time of conception
- The conditions of the mother's pregnancy.
Any of these factors can affect the body condition and become a cause of headaches later in life.
Persistent and recurrent headaches that start in childhood (usually between about 7 and 10)
strongly indicate the presence of a constitutional factor of disease. If the parents' Qi and Essence
are weak, the resulting Pre-Heaven Essence of the child will also be weak. Similarly if the
parents conceive when too old. This can result in headaches deriving from a Kidney or Liver
deficiency starting during childhood. A hereditary Kidney or Liver weakness manifests with
enuresis or frequent urination, lack of vitality, dull headaches and frequently, myopia.
Even though the parents' general health may be good, if it is poor at the time of the child's
conception (perhaps through overwork, excessive sexual activity, excessive consumption of
alcohol, or use of certain medications or drugs such as cannabis or cocaine), this will result in the
child having a weak constitution and in the possibility of its suffering from headaches. In this
case, the weakness will affect not the Kidneys or Liver, but any of the other organs, i.e. Spleen,
Lungs or Heart, depending on the particular condition which is negatively affecting the parents'
health. For example, if the parents' health is poor at the time of conception from overwork it may
be a cause of hereditary Spleen weakness in the child. The excessive consumption of alcohol or
the use of drugs or certain medicines may cause a hereditary weakness of the child's Heart or
Lungs. A hereditary Spleen weakness in a child may manifest with poor muscle tone, physical
weakness, digestive problems, and, in severe cases, Child Nutritional Impairment (Gan). In this
case the headaches will be on the forehead and be related to food intake.