It is essential to differentiate whether the headache is caused by exogenous factors or by internal disorders. Headache due to exogenous factors is characterized by an abrupt onset and a short course, or accompanied with exterior syndrome; while headache due to internal disorders has a long course with frequent attacks and intermittent pain. The former is usually of the excess type while the latter, of the deficiency-excess type. The treatment for the former is to disperse and expel exogenous factors; for the latter, it is to nourish both blood and yin.
Essentials for Diagnosis
(1) The chief complaint is headache, which may involve the entire head or the forehead, the frontotemple, the vertex and the occiput. Headache may be manifested as a throbbing pain, a stabbing pain, a distending pain, a dizzy pain and a dull pain. It may have a sudden onset with a splitting and ceaseless pain or an intermittent pain, which is irresponsible to treatment. The attack of the pain may last for minutes, hours, days or weeks.
(2) Headache caused by exogenous factors or internal disorders is manifested as a sudden onset or repeated attacks.
(3) A routine check on blood and blood pressure, and CSF examination and electroencephalography if necessary. Doppler cranial detector and craniocerebral CT or MRI may help to establish the diagnosis.
In TCM, a disease or a symptom might be caused by one pathogenic factor, even two or three pathogenic factors. When diagnosing a disease or a symptom, TCM doctors must follow the principle of "Syndrome Dfferentiation", and then "Suit the Remedy to the Case". In order to gain a more definite and valuable diagnosis, it's important and necessary for the doctor to learn the detailed health information of the patient, including his/her disease duration, age, sex, height, weight, family history, urine, stool, diet, sleep, sweat, energy, mood (emotion), as well as the tongue conditions and the palm conditions, etc. If you would want our expert to create a TCM diagnosis, you're welcome to contact us.