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The Complete Guide to Migraine Headaches by Alice Peart Page 47 of 87

16. Treating Migraine Headaches with Acupressure

Sometimes, alternative therapies are effective in treating migraine headaches.

Acupressure is one such treatment method that uses the concept of application

of pressure to specific points on the body to relieve pain. Acupressure is based
on the ancient Chinese system of healing.

To relieve pain, you must use your fingers and thumb to massage the pressure

points on the head, around the eyes, at the base of the neck and on the temples.
You can massage with your thumbs at the base of the skull for a few minutes,

with your head held back slightly.

You can massage at these specific pressure points for symptomatic relief.
Massaging the GB20 point may give relief from neck pain and migraine

headaches. For the full effect of this massage, you must sit on the chair with
your thumbs pressing the GB20 points located at the base of the head, at some

distance from the center of the neck.

This point is located at the base of the skull where it joins the neck and back. It
is used in the treatment of acute disorders, such as the common cold, influenza,

headache, neck pain, and fever. It may lower blood pressure and relaxes tension

in the area of the eyes.

You can put pressure, using your thumb, on the Lv 3 point, which is the space
between the big toe and the second toe. You must repeat this for a few minutes
for both feet.

In the book, ‘Modern Clinic Necessities for Acupuncture and Moxibustion’ by

Zhang Ren and Dong Zhi Lin, you can learn about the different areas that you

can press to gain relief.

Some people have experienced almost instant relief by pressing hard on the
fleshy point between their thumb and index finger for a few minutes.

Copyright © 2006 Alice Peart 47.