Q Why does a migraine throb on just one side of my head? Could something be wrong with my brain?
A A migraine is not a structural brain problem but a neurovascular hypersensitivity reaction. A wave of cortical excitation stimulates the trigeminal nerve and triggers inflammation around the blood vessels, causing throbbing pain on one side of the head.
Detailed Answer
The core mechanism of migraine is a wave of cortical neuronal excitation (cortical spreading depression, CSD) that activates the trigeminal-vascular pathway and creates neurogenic inflammation around the cerebral blood vessels. A serotonin imbalance regulates the constriction and dilation of the vessels, and the throbbing pain is produced during this process. The reason an MRI comes back normal is that this is a functional problem, not a structural abnormality.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang's Head and Face Clinic, we view throbbing, pounding one-sided headaches as Ascending Liver Yang (ganyang-sanghang). When the Liver's energy becomes blocked by severe stress, the stagnant energy turns into heat that surges upward and irritates the cerebral blood vessels. So rather than simply suppressing the vessels with painkillers, we address the root of the pain with treatment that draws down the risen heat (cheongsang, clearing the upper body) and resolves the obstructed circulation.
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