風邪や高血圧に伴う症状としての頭痛以外に、慢性的に起こる頭痛を抱えている人は多いと言われています。15歳以上の日本人のうち、3人に1人は「頭痛もち」で、3000万人以上が悩んでいるといわれます。 これほど身近ということもあって、「頭痛くらい」と軽く考えられがちですが、ひどくなると生活に支障をきたす場合や、背後に命にかかわる病気が隠れていることもあります。

なかでも多いのは片頭痛と呼ばれる頭痛で、脈が打つようなズキンズキンという痛みで我慢できないほどの痛みに悩まされるケースもあります。片頭痛は脳の血管が一度収縮したあとに拡張して起こる痛みと言われ、ストレスや不規則な睡眠、臭いや音、まぶしい光などが誘因と考えられています。「片頭痛」は、何らかの理由で脳の血管が急激に拡張して起きるものです。 脳の血管が拡張することで、周囲の三叉（さんさ）神経を刺激し、刺激で発生する炎症物質がさらに血管を拡張して「片頭痛」を発症します。心身のストレスから解放されたときに急に血管が拡張することがあり、仕事のない週末などに「片頭痛」が起こりやすくなります。そのほか、寝過ぎ、寝不足、女性ホルモンの変動、空腹、疲労、光や音の強い刺激なども、「片頭痛」の誘因とされています。

一方、「緊張型頭痛」は、頭の横の筋肉や、肩や首の筋肉が緊張することで起きます。筋肉の緊張で血流が悪くなった結果、筋肉内に老廃物がたまり、その周囲の神経が刺激されて起きる痛みです。「緊張型頭痛」を引き起こす原因は、精神的・身体的ストレスであることが多く、コンピューター操作などで長時間同じ姿勢をとり続けている人に起こりやすい病気です。また、筋肉の緊張ではなく、うつ病など心の病気が原因となる「緊張型頭痛」もあり、また「片頭痛」を併せ持つ人もいます。

月経前から月経はじめにかけての頭痛は、女性ホルモンの減少によるセロトニンの減少が血管を拡張させることにより起こると考えられています。首や肩の筋肉が緊張し血液の流れが悪くなって起こる緊張型頭痛は、長時間同じ姿勢を続ける、パソコン作業からくる目の疲労、ストレスなどが原因で首筋や後頭部が締め付けられるように痛みます。また、脳の病気が原因となる頭痛もあり、痛みが強い時や長引くときには何が原因なのか検査をする必要があります。

現代医学では偏頭痛、緊張型頭痛、群発頭痛、頭部外傷に伴う頭痛、血管障害に伴う頭痛、非血管性頭蓋内疾患に伴う頭痛、代謝疾患に伴う頭痛、感染症に伴う頭痛などに分類して考えられています。頭蓋内疾患や代謝疾患などに伴う頭痛に対しては、元の疾患を治らないと頭痛がなかなか治らないため、対症療法として鎮痛剤を投与することしかできません。

東洋医学では、頭痛はストレスや過労で「気」や「血」の巡りが悪くなる、胃腸のはたらきが弱って身体に余分な「水」がたまるなど、頭痛は様々な要因で引き起こされると考えられています。首の筋肉のこりが血流を阻害することで頭痛を引き起こしている場合もあります。緊張型の頭痛は主に「肝」と関係しています。「肝」のエネルギーラインに対してアプローチを行うことや首～肩周りの緊張をほぐすことを中心に施術を行います。

It is said that there are many people who have chronic headaches in addition to headaches as symptoms associated with colds and high blood pressure. Of the Japanese over 15 years old, one in three people has a "headache" and more than 30 million people are worried. It is often thought that it is "a headache" because it is so familiar, but there are times when it interferes with life when it becomes severe, and there is a life-threatening disease behind it.

Among them, the most common is a headache called migraine, and in some cases, you suffer from pain that you can't stand because of the pain of Askinskin, which makes you feel like you have a pulse. Migraine is said to be a pain caused by the expansion of blood vessels in the brain after contracting once, and stress, irregular sleep, odors and sounds, and dazzling light are considered to be the causes. Migraine is caused by a sudden expansion of blood vessels in the brain for some reason. By dilates the blood vessels of the brain, the surrounding trigeminal nerve is stimulated, and the inflammatory substances generated by the stimulation further expand the blood vessels and develop "migraine". When you are released from mental and physical stress, the blood vessels may suddenly dilate, and "migraine" is more likely to occur on weekends when there is no work. In addition, excessive sleep, lack of sleep, fluoress variations in female hormones, hunger, fatigue, strong stimulation of light and sound are also considered to be a catalyst for migraine.

On the other hand, "tension-type headache" occurs when the muscles next to the head and the muscles of the shoulders and neck are tense. It is a pain that occurs when the blood flow deteriorates due to muscle tension, waste products accumulate in the muscles, and the nerves around it are stimulated. The cause of "tension-type headache" is often mental and physical stress, a disease that is likely to occur in people who have been taking the same posture for a long time, such as computer operation. In addition, there is also a "tension-type headache" that is caused by mental illness such as depression, not muscle tension, and some people have "migraine".

Headaches from premenstrual to early menstruation are thought to be caused by a decrease in serotonin due to a decrease in female hormones by dilating blood vessels. Tension-type headaches caused by tense neck and shoulder muscles and poor blood flow cause a pain so that the neck and occipital muscles can be tightened due to fatigue from the eyes and stress that comes from computer work, which continues to be in the same posture for a long time. In addition, there is also a headache caused by a brain disease, it is necessary to examine what is the cause when the pain is strong or prolonged.

In modern medicine, it is considered to be classified as migraines, tension-type headaches, cluster headaches, headaches associated with head injuries, headaches associated with vascular disorders, headaches associated with non-vascular intracranial diseases, headaches associated with metabolic diseases, headaches associated with infectious diseases, and so on. For headaches associated with intracranial and metabolic diseases, it is only possible to administer painkillers as symptomatic therapy because headaches cannot be cured easily unless the original disease is cured.

In Oriental medicine, headaches are thought to be caused by a variety of factors, such as stress and overwork that cause "ki" and "blood" circulation, weak gastrointestinal functions and excess "water" accumulates in the body. Stiffness in the neck muscles may also cause headaches by inhibiting blood flow. Tension-type headaches are mainly related to liver. The treatment focuses on approaching the energy line of the liver and relieving tension around the neck and shoulders.