Headache

Headache is a high-yield symptom, but it must be interpreted with pain quality, location, timeline, tongue, and pulse.

Distending pain often suggests Liver Yang or qi rising; fixed stabbing pain leans toward blood stasis; heavy wrapped pain leans toward phlegm-damp; dull empty pain leans toward deficiency.

When you see headache, ask what kind of headache it is before doing anything else. The quality matters more than the presence of pain alone.