Main Treated Disease Name：Exceptional Headache

Rhyming Formula：
An exceptional headache has many causes. Drowsiness, dementia, and in the long run, it may lead to other ailments. Needling Guanyuan has a miraculous effect, and with Taichong and Qiuxu, the disease will be cured.

Main Effective Treatment：Exceptional Headache

Effective Acupoints；
Guanyuan with a miraculous effect, Taichong, Qiuxu

Introduction of Acupoints
Taichong: About one cun above the space between the big toe and the second toe of the foot.
Qiuxu: In the slightly forward depression below the lateral malleolus of the foot, within the bone seam.
Guanyuan: Three cun below the umbilicus.

Analysis of Etiology and Pathogenesis
[Analysis 1]: I have treated many patients with exceptional headache. The reasons are diverse. Most patients feel as if there is a handful of messy grass in their brains, which is extremely painful like being pricked, and it is a feeling that is neither numb nor normal and difficult to describe. They feel dizzy and tired, with their eyes hard to open, in low spirits, drowsy and dull, and the condition does not improve over the years. This kind of headache is different from various other headaches.
[Analysis 2]: As stated in the “Classic of Difficult Issues”: For diseases of the head and heart, there are “jue” pain and “zhen” pain. What do they mean? Well, when the three Yang meridians of the hand are invaded by wind and cold and the evil qi lingers and does not leave, it is called “jue” headache. When the evil qi enters and connects to the brain, it is called “zhen” headache. When the qi of the five zang organs interferes with each other, it is called “jue” heartache. When the pain is severe and only in the heart, and the hands and feet turn blue, it is called “zhen” heartache. For “zhen” heartache, if it occurs in the morning, the patient may die in the evening, and if it occurs in the evening, the patient may die in the morning.
[Analysis 3]: “Jue” means reversal. “Zhen” means without other impurities. The three Yang meridians of the hand run from the hand to the head. When wind and cold invade the head, they block and reverse the qi flow and make it unobstructed, thus causing pain, which is called “jue” headache. There are six types of “jue” headache. One is headache with a feeling of swelling and restlessness; two is headache with pain in the head veins, sadness, and frequent crying; three is “zhen” headache with severe pain; four is headache with forgetfulness and the pain cannot be alleviated by pressing; five is headache that starts first and then the waist and spine respond; six is the surging of the veins in front of and behind the ear with a feeling of heat, which is elaborated in the “Miraculous Pivot”. The brain is the sea of marrow. When the qi of wind and cold enters the Niwan Palace (a metaphor for the brain in traditional Chinese medicine) and connects to the brain, it is called “zhen” headache.
[Analysis 4]: The ancients said that this kind of pain may be due to internal injury or external contraction. For headaches caused by external contraction, they mostly belong to the three Yang collaterals. For Taiyang headache, it is usually in the middle and the nape; for Shaoyang headache, it is mostly on both sides; for Yangming headache, it is mostly in the nape. For headaches caused by internal injury, it is often manifested as timidity of qi and decline of essence, and the headache will occur when overworked. Sometimes the headache is as severe as if the head is broken, or it occurs regularly, with a heavy and restless feeling. When external evil invades the three Yang collaterals, or there is congestion or blood stasis in the blood vessels of the head, it will all lead to headache, because the head belongs to the Yang meridians. However, there are differences due to wind, cold, summer-heat, dampness, heat, etc. If the headache is caused by wind and cold, it is often accompanied by aversion to wind and cold, or listlessness and weakness. If it is caused by heat, there will be only fever, restlessness, and thirst. If it is caused by summer-heat, there may be sweating or no sweating, and the body is averse to heat. If there is insufficient blood, and the yin fire attacks upward, the pain will extend to the back of the head, and the patient is prone to being startled, or has restlessness and fever in the five centers (palms, soles, and the heart). If it is caused by anger and the stagnation of liver and gallbladder fire due to the seven emotions, and the fire rushes upward, the headache will be extremely severe, or the pain may radiate to the lower ribs. If it is caused by phlegm and fluid retention, the headache will be heavy and the patient will feel stuffy and want to vomit. Since headache has many causes, it must be carefully distinguished.

Physiological Analysis

Treatment Experience of the Ancients

Clinical Experience of Sun Peirong

Medical Cases
[Case 1]: Mr. Qin, 50 years old, from Rizhao County, Shandong Province, lived at No. 105, Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. He suffered from an exceptional headache. He couldn’t feel it when pinched or burned, similar to numbness. For years, he was drowsy and his mind was unclear, as if drunk or in a trance. Due to this illness, he had been unemployed for more than a year and had no means of support. Fortunately, with the financial help of his fellow townsman, he returned to Taiwan on December 1, 1966, and lived in Lane 203, Bo’ai Road, Taipei City. He came to seek treatment. Guanyuan, Qiuxu, and Taichong were selected. After several times of needling successively, his illness disappeared.
[Case 2]: Mr. Qin had another illness. According to his own statement, 17 years ago, it seemed that he was bitten by a mosquito behind his right ear, and a small blister appeared, which was very itchy. After scratching it, yellow water flowed out, and then it gradually became bigger and formed a tumor, about the size of a walnut, flat and round, and it was extremely painful and itchy. A small tendon grew behind the tumor, and he couldn’t lie close to the pillow when sleeping. When moving it, he would feel intense pain and sweat profusely. This had lasted for 17 years. He had sought treatment from both Chinese and Western doctors widely, but all in vain. I observed that this area belonged to the region of the Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian. I used a main triangular needle to let out a lot of dark blood from the purple veins at the Zulinqi acupoint. And the long-standing illness that had lasted for several years was cured from then on.
[Case 3]: Mr. Liu, 46 years old, from Jinxian County, Jiangxi Province, lived on Zhongzheng Road, Taipei City. He suffered from a headache. On November 1, 1968, he asked me to diagnose and treat him. He also wrote a self-statement personally, saying that since 1961, he had had a headache and tension. It felt as if there was a handful of messy grass in his brain, and the stabbing pain was unbearable. His eyes were difficult to open, and he was drowsy all day long, as if in a dream. Later, the condition worsened year by year. After being discharged from the army due to illness, he had visited all the neurology departments in major hospitals, but there was no effect. He was in extreme pain and asked me to diagnose and treat him. Guanyuan, Qiuxu, and Taichong were selected, and after several times of continuous needling, the illness that had lasted for seven years was cured completely.
[Case 4]: Mr. Wang, 58 years old, from Pingdu County, Shandong Province, lived on Nanhai Road, Taipei City. He had suffered from an exceptional headache for 31 years. Although he had been treated by both Chinese and Western doctors for a long time, there was no improvement. Introduced by his friend, on October 16, 1970, he asked me to diagnose and treat him. After needling several times according to the above acupoints, he was cured.