Complete recovery from tension-type headache through kampo medicine

Objective: We administered Kampo medicine for tension-type headache with extremely effective results. The objective is to demonstrate the effect of Kampo medicine. Subject: The case was 13 year-old-girl who had been suffering from headaches from the age of 11 years. As general and neurologic examinations (blood tests, urine analysis, head computed tomography, and electroencephalography) showed no abnormal findings, we diagnosed her as suffering from tension-type headache. Accompanying signs and symptoms included fatigue, shoulder stiffness, and a lot of stress in a private supplementary school and from ballet lessons. Interventions and outcome: Kampo medicine was chosen to address the necessity for a comprehensive treatment. We prescribed saikokaryukotsuboreito, with clear positive effect. Although headaches re-appeared when she later forgot to take the formula, the symptom disappeared by taking it again. Treatment was discontinued after 11 months, and the headache has not recurred for 3 years. Conclusions: Kampo medicine was able to improve her overall symptom pattern, as Kampo formulas are selected not only by paying attention to the primary symptom (in this case headache) but also by checking the other characteristics (additional symptoms, constitution, etc). This case showed that Kampo treatment is an effective therapeutic option for tension-type headaches accompanied by various other symptoms.