Headache and reflexology treatment

This is a common symptom that may occur alone or in conjunction with many acute and chronic diseases. In this section, only the treatment of headache with medical diseases is discussed.
  
Headache with epidemic and infectious diseases with fever, hypertension, intracranial diseases, neurasthenia, and migraine in modern medicine can be treated by the following methods.

Massage therapy:
Location: Yuji (LU10), Hegu (LI 4), Yangxi (L1 5), Shaoze (SI 1), Qiangu (SI 2), Houxi (SI 3), head reflective point (forehead, parietal head, temporal head and occipital head), brain area, head acupoint beside the second metacarpal bone, Guanchong (TE 1) and kidney area.
  
Method of manipulation: Both hands are rubbed to produce a hot sensation. Digit-pressing and kneading maneuvers applied at head area and kidney area; kneading and pressing maneuvers at Hegu (LI 4), Yangxi (LI 5), Shaoze (S1 1), Qiangu (SI 2), Houxi (SI 3), various head reflective points, brain area, Guan-chong (TE l) and head acupoint beside the second metacarpal bone 30-50 times. The acupoints, points, and areas may be selected according to the location of the headache.
  
Acupuncture therapy:
 
At regular and extra acupoints:
  
Location: Hegu (LI 4) for frontal headache; Houxi (SI 3) for occipital headache; and Zhongdu (LR6) for temporal head- ache.
  
Method of manipulation: The needles are retained for 30 minutes after strong needling stimulation.

At reflective points:
  
Location: Forehead point for frontal headache; occipital head point for occipital headache; temporal head point for temporal headache; and parietal head point for parietal headache.
 
Method of manipulation: The needles are inserted for 1.6 cm and retained for five minutes after strong needling stimulation.
 
At reflective areas:
  
Location: Head areas corresponding to the location of headache in dorsal and palmar reflective areas.
  
Method of manipulation: The needles are inserted and removed right after twisting, lifting, and thrusting stimulation.
 
At special acupoint beside the second metacarpal bone:
  
Location: Head acupoint.
  
Method of manipulation: The needle is inserted for 1.6 cm and retained for 30 minutes.
  
Hand bath:
Recipe: Chuanxiong (Lovage) 40 g, Baizhi (Chinese Angelica) 10 g, Juhua (Chrysanthemum) 15 g, Baijiezi (white mustard seed) 10 g, Xixin (Herba Asari) 3 g, Shigao (Gypsum Fibrosum) 50 g, and scorpion 10 g.
Function: To disperse wind pathogen, clear heat pathogen, and stop pain.
Method of manipulation: A hot decoction is used to steam and then wash both hands for 20 minutes, twice a day.
  
Hand qigong: Kongjin exercise.
The hand is prone with the palm facing medially and the fingers relaxed and extended. The thumb is flexed twice and then resumes its starting posture; the little finger is flexed once and then resumes its original posture; and then the thumb is flexed once and resumes the original ladder pattern. The exercise is repeated 11 times and ended after a pole-standing exercise in riding posture for five minutes.
  
Herb-holding therapy:
Herbs: Qianghuo (Radix Notopterygii) 9 g, Duhuo (Radix Angelicae Tuhuo) 9 g, Chuanxiong (Lovage) 9 g, Xixin (Herba Asari) 6 g, and Fuzi (Aconite) 4 g.
  
Method of manipulation: A powder of the above herbs is mixed with a paste of green onion stalks and held in palms until some sweating is induced, twice a day.