Heal Thyself...

One of the perks of being an acupuncturist is that I can treat myself when something goes wrong.  Today, I experienced the classic signs of the start of a migraine, particularly the visual aura.  As soon as the aura started, I popped in a needle at a point called Du 20, located in the center of the top of the head.  Du 20 is known as the Point of Hundred Meetings because numerous channels meet at this point.  Depending on how it is needled, Du 20 can draw qi up or down and is used for many different functions, including headaches and migraines, dizziness, loss of consciousness, prolapse of organs, anxiety, sadness, fear, poor memory, nasal discharge and even mania.  As soon as I needled Du 20 on myself, I noticed a difference in my visual aura.  Usually the aura will last 30 minutes, followed by severe pain and other migraine symptoms.  Today, the aura lasted 10 minutes and I continue to be pain-free two hours after the aura started.  Du 20 is an amazing point!