Expert: Joseph Alban, MS, L.Ac - 4/30/2009

Question
I'm a 17 yr old female suffering from chronic fatigue as of 6 mnths ago. My main symptom is chronic headache type things across my forehead. They are worse when I've eaten something I can't digest properly (on a very strict diet).
Basically I have concluded the headaches tie in with my digestion.
My homeopath says headaches in that location are due to the stomach. I remember in the first week of feeling ill with what i believe now to be cfs, i lost about 2 kg over night. i have a feeling my stomach bacterial flora is either depleted or messed up. i also suffer chronic intestinal gas, bloating, constipation and discomfort.
can you tell me anything about chinese medicine and my conditon?

Answer
Hi Natalia,

Thank you for your question. I understand this can be very frustrating to someone so young.  There is hope.

Chronic fatigue and headaches are very treatable with Chinese medicine and acupuncture. I have had a lot of success treating headaches and poor digestion in my clinic.

Chinese medicine focuses on treating the imbalance in the body that is causing your condition.  Once the imbalance is corrected, the body works to heal itself.I cannot specifically say what it is caused by without seeing you.  I would recommend you find an acupuncturist in your area who can help or ask your Homeopathic doctor for a referral to an acupuncturist they know and trust.

I think you are spot on, often frontal headaches are related to digestion, as you suggested. This is where the Stomach channel lies on the body.  Weakness in the body's vital energy, called qi, can lead to poor digestion.   By correcting the imbalance in qi, it will relieve your headaches.  

Weakness in the digestive energy can lead to a build up of what we call "dampness".  The dampness is what may be causing your headaches (as I said before, I can't know without seeing you).

In addition to finding an acupuncturist, there are a lot of things you can do on your own.  Food choices are important.  In general, those with digestive issues should eat cooked foods, stay away from salads.  Rice and noodles are good, vegetables are of course good, but they should be stir fried, steamed, or, even better, cooked in a soup. No cold foods.  Try more easy to digest foods, like light soups.  

Also, I usually give my patients acupressure to do on their own to help support their energy in between treatments. Here are three acupressure points which you should massage every day for 1 minute each point.  This will help improve your digestion and energy. This is not a replacement for treatment, but a supplement.

- http://albanacupuncture.com/blog/2009/02/amazing-acupressure-for-cramps-stomach-...

- http://albanacupuncture.com/blog/2009/02/the-greatest-acupressure-point-for-naus...

- http://albanacupuncture.com/blog/2009/02/the-greatest-acupressure-point-for-head...

Remember, correcting imbalances takes time, so do this massage everyday.  We say that it takes 100 days for the body to correct the imbalance.   So massage for a few months and I think you will see great changes

You also can also try other techniques for overall health which can boost digestion. Here is a qi gong exercise, which I find very helpful for those with digestive issues  http://albanacupuncture.com/blog/2009/01/exercise-your-energy-with-qi-gong/

Trying finding a qi gong or tai chi class in your area.

All the best,

Joseph
Alban Acupuncture and Herbs
Secrets from the Chinese Medicine Cabinet
AlbanAcupuncture.com/blog