Headache Solutions, Not Cover-Ups

By Michael Woodworth, M.S., L.Ac., updated October 20, 2026

Ancient wisdom, modern methods — applied to one of the most common, most under-treated complaints we see at Makari Wellness.

The headache that won't take a hint

You've had this one before. It starts as a tightness at the base of the skull or a band across the forehead. By the afternoon it's a dull pressure behind the eyes. By evening you've taken something for it, stretched your neck, maybe rolled a tennis ball into your shoulder, and it's almost gone. The next day, it's back. This is the pattern of a tension-type headache — the most common kind, and the one most often dismissed as "just stress." Stress is part of it. But in our clinic we very rarely see a tension headache that lives in just one tissue, just one modality's worth of treatment, or just one diagnostic frame. They show up as a cluster: tight upper trapezius, a stiff suboccipital region, a forward-head posture from screens, a jaw that clenches at night, and a nervous system that hasn't fully downshifted in months. Address any one of those and the headache may ease for a day or two. The aim is to work with the whole pattern.

Why a layered headache needs a layered plan

Tension headaches are often approached through one lens at a time: massage, chiropractic care, physical therapy, acupuncture or medication. Each of those is a real tool, and many people do well combining them. A tension headache that has been recurring for months or years usually involves several layers at once (muscle, fascia, joint mechanics, movement habits and the nervous system), so the approach has to be layered too.

The Makari approach: three modalities, one treatment plan

At Makari we don't pick one. In a single visit, depending on what your tissues and nervous system actually need that day, I work with three distinct modalities:

1. Orthopedic acupuncture

This isn't the relaxation-room acupuncture some people have experienced before. Orthopedic acupuncture works with structural pain (muscle, tendon, joint, fascia) by addressing specific motor points, trigger points and channel pathways that influence the affected tissue. For a tension headache, that often means the suboccipitals, the upper trapezius, the levator scapulae, the temporalis and the masseter, plus distal points along channels that traverse the head and neck.

2. Motor-point and trigger-point acupuncture

Where channel-based orthopedic acupuncture engages classical channel theory, motor-point work targets myofascial trigger points directly — those palpable knots that refer pain in predictable patterns. The trapezius, for example, is well known for referring pain up into the temple and behind the eye. Releasing that trigger point may help ease a headache pattern that has been recurring for years. We use both approaches because they reach different tissue at different depths.

3. Active Release Techniques (ART)

ART is a hands-on soft-tissue treatment that works through specific movement-based protocols designed to release adhesions in muscle, fascia and nerve tissue. It is widely used by chiropractors and sports therapists, and I hold full-body ART certification. After the needling phase has changed the local muscle tone, ART addresses layered fascial restrictions, and the nerve-glide work helps the head, neck and jaw move freely again.

Layered onto those three modalities is a fourth piece that often gets skipped: movement diagnostics. We use SFMA and FMS frameworks to identify why your body keeps re-creating the pattern — the postural, breathing and motor-control habits that put the headache there in the first place. Treatment without that piece is symptom chasing.

What a typical course actually looks like

Tension headaches that have been recurring for months or years generally don't settle in one session, and we don't pretend they will. They also don't require unlimited sessions. Our courses are designed around what the tissue and nervous system actually need to change — not around keeping you on the books.

• Initial examination + treatment: full history, structural and movement assessment, TCM pattern diagnosis, and a first treatment. You leave with a clear picture of what's driving the headache and what the plan is.
• Half-course (5 sessions): the minimum we recommend for a recurring pain pattern. We re-check frequency, intensity and duration at the end of the block before deciding on next steps.
• Full course (10 sessions): for patterns that are older, more layered, or compounded by jaw clenching, postural issues or significant life stress.
• Home program: specific stretches, breath work and movement correctives matched to your pattern. The home program is part of the treatment, not an extra.

The clinic philosophy is simple and old-fashioned: do the work, graduate, and don't come back unless you need to. That's the goal.

Where Chinese herbal medicine fits

For some people with tension headaches — especially those with concurrent sleep issues, hormonal patterns, jaw clenching driven by chronic stress, or a long history of digestive complaints alongside the headaches — a properly diagnosed classical herbal formula can address the underlying terrain alongside the bodywork. As a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine and a classically trained herbalist, I may discuss herbal medicine where the pattern calls for it, as one part of the plan — never a one-size-fits-all formula, and always matched to the pattern after an assessment. Respecting your time is part of how we run the practice.

Who this is for — and who it isn't

This is for you if:

• Your tension headaches have been recurring for months or years.
• You've tried one approach at a time and want a plan that combines several.
• You're willing to commit to a course of care and a home program.
• You want a practitioner who can integrate diagnostics, hands-on work, needling and herbal medicine in one place.

This isn't for you if:

• You're looking for a single session to resolve a long-standing pattern.
• You want a passive treatment with no home-program participation.
• You need a Western-medicine diagnostic workup — for new, severe or atypical headaches, please see your physician first. Acupuncture and bodywork are not substitutes for medical evaluation when red-flag symptoms are present.

How to start

The first step is the initial examination and treatment. An accurate diagnosis requires a hands-on exam, but you're welcome to send a brief outline of your situation through our contact page first, and I'll give you an honest read on whether we're likely to be a good fit. If we're not, I'll tell you that too. Makari Wellness sees patients in San Diego and Oceanside, by appointment, booked online. The clinic is cash-based; we provide superbills for possible insurance reimbursement, and HSA/FSA cards are accepted.

Make Well - Be Well.

Book online and we'll build a plan together.

Michael Woodworth, M.S., L.Ac., Dip. OMC, is the founder and practitioner of Makari Wellness. He is licensed in acupuncture in California, nationally certified as a Chinese herbalist, a classically trained herbalist, full-body ART certified, and trained in multiple scalp acupuncture systems and Master Tung's methods.

This is general wellness information, not medical advice.

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