Teo Korean Medicine Clinic Bundang Headache / Migraine

Headaches with no clear cause may improve through constitutional care.

Please check first

A headache that suddenly becomes severe like a thunderclap, a severe headache of a kind you have never had before, or a headache that comes with fever, neck stiffness, reduced consciousness, weakness in the arms or legs, or slurred speech may have a cause that needs care immediately. In that case, do not rely on this page — go to the emergency room right away.

A headache that newly appears after age 50, a headache that keeps getting worse, a headache in someone with a history of cancer or reduced immunity, or a headache that worsens with coughing or a change of posture needs its cause confirmed first with imaging or other tests.

Could this be a headache?

A throbbing head along with a fever

An uncomfortable, queasy, aching feeling in the stomach

Pain that feels like the head is bursting

A pain like being pricked with a needle or an awl

Pain around the eyebrows

Numbness and a cold feeling at the scalp

The many causes of headache

Muscle tension headache

Occurs when muscles contract and stiffen due to compression, tension, and so on

Vascular headache

With blood vessel constriction, a smooth supply of oxygen and blood to the brain is needed

Headaches related to energy levels

Caused by low energy from changes in surroundings, inner worries, and similar

blood stasis

Occurs when blood stasis, blood clotted by injury, blocks blood circulation

Treatment program

We run the following tailored care programs to improve headaches.

Herbal medicine treatment

Through a constitution assessment, herbal medicine is taken according to the cause of the headache, such as circulation problems, stress, or digestive problems.

Constitution acupuncture

By adjusting the balance of the autonomic nervous system, we ease headaches through better sleep and blood circulation.

Frequently asked questions when looking for the cause of a headache

Even under the single name 'headache,' the character of the pain and the symptoms that come with it differ. Rather than asking only where it hurts, looking at the conditions under which it repeats and at changes in the body helps distinguish categories of cause. You can use the questions below to organize your symptoms before your visit.

What causes migraine and how does it appear?

Rather than settling on a single cause for migraine, it should be looked at together with the pattern of the pain. The vascular headache described on this page may throb or feel as though the head is bursting, and heavy eyes or sensitivity to light may appear with it. Whether it worsens when you are tired or when the weather changes, and whether nausea comes with it, are also clues for telling the cause apart. Temporomandibular joint or postural imbalance and tension around the neck can overlap as well, so we do not conclude migraine from the painful area alone but also check the conditions under which it repeats.

Do the causes of headache differ by where the pain appears?

Causes of headache can be reviewed in groups: the temporomandibular joint and postural imbalance, muscle tension, vascular changes, low energy, and blood stasis after an injury. When the back of the head or the nape feels stiff and shoulder tightness comes with it, we check muscle over-tension and the condition around the neck; when the temple or one side of the head throbs, we also look at vascular patterns. When there is pain around the eyebrows or a heavy feeling in the eyes, we check whether symptoms around the eyes and temporomandibular discomfort occur together. Several causes can overlap and produce similar pain, so we do not determine the cause from location alone.

What should I record to find the reason my head hurts?

When looking for the reason your head hurts, first write down when it started, where and how it hurts, and how long it lasts. It helps to note the character of the pain — throbbing, pressure, or a stabbing feeling — along with whether nausea, heaviness in the eyes, or stiffness in the neck and shoulders comes with it. Gathering information on fatigue, sleep, weather changes, posture, and whether it repeats after an injury helps distinguish between different categories of cause. If you took a painkiller, also tell us at your visit whether it worked and how long it took before the pain returned.

What should I check before looking into surgical treatment for headache?

A Korean medicine clinic does not perform surgical procedures for headache. Before looking into whether an operation is needed, what has to be checked is not the name of the headache itself but what is causing it, and whether there are signs that imaging or emergency evaluation should come first. If it suddenly becomes severe like a thunderclap, or comes with fever, neck stiffness, reduced consciousness, weakness in the arms or legs, or slurred speech, emergency care takes priority over Korean medicine care. After emergency causes have been ruled out, Korean medicine care looks at the range covered on this page — the temporomandibular joint and body imbalance, tension in the neck and shoulders, circulation problems, stress, and digestive problems — and whether an operation is needed must be confirmed at a medical institution based on test results.

FAQ

What symptoms might point to a headache condition?

With a fever, the head may throb, or the stomach may feel uncomfortable and queasy. Pain as if the head will burst, stabbing pain like a needle or awl, pain around the eyebrows, and numbness or coldness at the base of the skull are also included in the self-check items.

What causes headaches?

Suggested causes include temporomandibular joint problems and postural imbalance, muscle compression and tension, narrowing of blood vessels, low energy due to changes in surroundings or inner worries, and blood stasis from injury.

How is tightness in the neck and shoulders related to headaches?

We look at knots in the neck and shoulders, straight neck, and forward head posture together with headaches, and explain that Chuna manual therapy may help reduce the causes of headaches by improving these.

Does headache treatment differ by constitution?

Through constitutional diagnosis, we look at the causes of headache, such as circulation problems, stress, and digestive disorders, and advise on herbal medicine accordingly.

What headache treatment programs are there?

We offer a personalized treatment program made up of herbal medicine, constitutional acupuncture, and Chuna manual therapy.

How does constitutional acupuncture approach headaches?

We guide care toward easing headaches by regulating the balance of the autonomic nervous system and improving sleep disorders and blood circulation.

How do tension headaches and vascular headaches differ?

Tension-type headache appears when muscles contract and stiffen from pressure or tension, and vascular headache appears when blood vessels constrict and the supply of oxygen and blood to the brain is not smooth. An accurate distinction needs to be confirmed through examination.

What should I do if the headache continues even after taking painkillers?

Rather than just calming the symptoms with painkillers, it may help to identify the causes of the headache, such as circulation problems, stress, or digestive disorders, through constitutional diagnosis and then decide on a treatment direction.

For headaches like these, should I go to the emergency room before a Korean medicine clinic?

A headache that becomes severe suddenly like a thunderclap, or a headache accompanied by fever, neck stiffness, reduced consciousness, paralysis of the arms or legs, or slurred speech, needs emergency care first. A new headache that began after age 50, a headache that keeps getting worse, or a history of cancer or weakened immunity also requires checking the cause first with imaging tests or similar.

What patterns should be looked at to tell the causes of migraine apart?

We look at whether the pain is throbbing or bursting, and whether it comes with heaviness in the eyes, sensitivity to light, or nausea. Recording the conditions under which the pain recurs, such as fatigue, weather changes, and neck and shoulder tension, also helps in sorting out the category of cause.

What should I record when looking for the reason for my headaches?

Try recording when it started, where it hurts and what the pain is like, how long it lasts, and any accompanying symptoms. Its relation to sleep, fatigue, weather, posture, and injury, as well as how painkillers work and when the pain returns, also help identify the cause during the consultation.

Can forward head posture also cause headaches?

Yes, they are related. If a posture in which the head juts forward continues while looking at a smartphone or monitor for a long time, the muscles at the back of the neck and the shoulders stay tense, and tension rises into the fascia around the back of the head and the temples, which can appear as a tension-type headache.

Is it okay to take painkillers often?

When medication is taken often, the same dose may not work as well as before, and the cause of the recurring headaches may still remain. If the time it takes for the pain to ease after taking it and the interval before it hurts again keep getting shorter, it may be a sign that an approach to identify the cause is needed.

Hours

Open 365 Days a Year · Weekday evening hours until 9 PM · Sundays & Holidays until 5 PM

Symptoms we review together

You can review symptoms that overlap with the headache self-assessment items on the page below.

Pain around the eyes and TMJ headache

The headache self-check list includes pain around the eyes. The temporomandibular disorder self-check also lists pain around the eyes and TMJ headache, so they can be checked together.

View TMJ disorders

Headache & eye pain

The headache self-check items include head pain in various patterns and pain around the eyes. The traffic accident care page also lists headache and eye pain as symptoms that are checked together.

View traffic accident care

Common questions

How do tension headaches and migraines differ

The causes of headache can be divided into muscle-tension headache and vascular headache. A muscle-tension headache appears as pressure or tension makes the muscles contract and stiffen, and it is often felt as a dull ache around the back of the head, the nape of the neck, or the temples. A vascular headache appears when the blood vessels constrict and the supply of oxygen and blood to the brain is not smooth, and it may appear as a throbbing pain or as a feeling that the head is about to burst. The two can also appear together, so telling them apart accurately needs to be confirmed through an examination.

If it keeps coming back even after taking painkillers

If headaches keep returning even after you take painkillers, or the relief does not last long, checking the cause comes before simply calming the symptom with medication. Headaches have many causes, such as temporomandibular joint and postural imbalance, muscle tension, blood vessel constriction, low energy, and blood stasis from injury, so the approach can differ by cause. It may help to use constitutional diagnosis to identify the background behind the headache, such as circulatory problems, stress, or digestive problems, and then decide the direction of treatment.

For headaches like these, go to a medical facility right away

It can be confusing whether a headache can be approached at a Korean medicine clinic or whether you should go to the emergency room first. A headache that suddenly strikes like a thunderclap, or one that comes with fever, neck stiffness, reduced consciousness, limb paralysis, or slurred speech, needs emergency care before the guidance on this page. A headache that newly appears after age 50, one that keeps getting worse, or a headache in someone with a history of cancer or immune suppression also needs the cause checked first with imaging or other testing.

Headaches: learn more

We explain how everyday posture affects headaches and what to look at when you take painkillers repeatedly.

Forward head posture and headaches

When the head stays pushed forward while you look at a smartphone or monitor for long periods, the muscles at the back of the neck and the shoulders remain under continuous tension. This tension raises the pull that carries through the fascia toward the back of the head and the temples, and it can appear as a muscle-tension headache.

The longer you hold your chin forward with your head down, the greater the load on the muscles at the back of the neck; so if headaches keep returning, look not only at the painful spot but also at how you usually sit and how long you look at a screen. Chuna manual therapy to improve tightness in the neck and shoulders and forward-head or straight-neck posture may help reduce this postural tension.

Is it all right to take painkillers repeatedly?

Taking a painkiller whenever a headache appears helps reduce the pain at that moment, but when it is taken often, the same dose sometimes no longer works as well as before. The more often you rely on the medicine, the more the underlying reason the headaches keep coming back can remain untouched.

Writing down how long it takes for the pain to settle after you take a painkiller, and how long it is until the pain returns, gives a useful reference for checking for yourself whether you are taking them more often. If the interval keeps getting shorter, it may be a sign that you need an approach that looks for the cause rather than one that eases the pain each time.

Location & Treatment Info

Branch Name

Teo Korean Medicine Clinic Bundang

Address

67 Dolma-ro, Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (Geumsan JamWorld, 2F)

Nearest station

Suin-Bundang Line and Shinbundang Line Migeum Station, Exits 1 and 2 · Exit 1 — 2F of Geumsan Gem World (JS King Hotel) on the right · Exit 2 — 2F of Geumsan Gem World (JS King Hotel) on the left

Bus

Get off at Migeum Station 2001 Outlet bus stop; walk 288 m
Directions Area Guide

Teo Korean Medicine Clinic Bundang Headache Service Area

Teo Korean Medicine Clinic Bundang: Headache care, patients come to us from Geumgok-dong·Jeongja-dong·Gumi-dong·Sunae-dong·Seohyeon-dong·Imae-dong·Yatap-dong.

The subway stations used are Migeum Station·Jeongja Station·Ori Station·Sunae Station·Seohyeon Station·Imae Station·Yatap Station.

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