Say Goodbye to Recurring Migraines - Neurology Department’s Targeted Therapy Overcomes Treatment-Resistant Headaches

Chronic, treatment-resistant migraines that strike again and again aren’t just about excruciating pain—they often trigger insomnia, anxiety, and brain fog, derailing daily life habits and productivity. And when traditional medications and physical therapy fall short, long-term use only brings more side effects and drug resistance.

Peking University International Hospital’s Neurology Department offers a targeted injection therapy for headache disorders. This treatment may be an option for patients who have not found adequate relief with standard approaches.

A 20-Year Struggle, Finally Turned Around
Ms. Zhang—who had suffered from migraines for over two decades—walked into Dr. XING Yan’s consultation room at the hospital. She’d had headaches since her youth, but over the past three years, things had gotten much worse. She’d been to countless doctors, tried every painkiller and nerve block out there—nothing worked. The relentless cycles of pain had left her physically and emotionally drained.

After a thorough review of her headache patterns, medication history, and test results, Dr. XING diagnosed her with refractory migraine and recommended injection therapy. Ms. Zhang was initially skeptical—how could an injection stop a headache? But Dr. XING walked her through the science, the clinical evidence, and the fact that this treatment is now endorsed by multiple international guidelines and widely used in leading hospitals. That put her mind at ease.

The procedure itself was quick and minimally invasive, performed with precision by our team. At her two-month follow-up, Ms. Zhang reported a dramatic drop in both the frequency and severity of her attacks. The headaches that had haunted her for twenty years were finally under control—no more daily pills, no more endless pain cycles.


Targeting the Root Cause—Breaking Through the Limits of Traditional Treatment

Targeted injection therapy is recognized by leading global guidelines as a first-line treatment for refractory chronic migraine—specifically for patients who don’t respond to conventional care. The core mechanism? Precisely targeting muscle spasms and nerve endings in the head and surrounding areas, blocking abnormal nerve signals, and easing muscle tension. The result: reduced pain sensitivity, fewer headache triggers, and long-lasting relief that actually tackles the root cause instead of just masking symptoms.


Four Key Advantages—Precision Care for Your Head Health

Peking University International Hospital’s Headache and Sleep Disorders Clinic, backed by the National Headache Center designation, offers a standardized yet personalized injection therapy service with distinct benefits:

✅ Expert-Led, Specialty Care

As a designated center under a major national research initiative, we specialize in complex, hard-to-treat headaches. Our team has deep clinical experience in identifying headache types and underlying causes—so you get the right diagnosis, not guesswork.

✅ Fully Customized Treatment Plans

Before treatment, our specialists conduct a one-on-one evaluation. Based on your headache location, frequency, and severity, we pinpoint exact injection sites and tailor dosages to your unique needs.

✅ Minimally Invasive, Safe, and Convenient

The entire procedure is injection-based—no incisions, no hospital stay. Performed by experienced physicians, it’s safe, nearly painless, and won’t disrupt your normal routine.

✅ Proven, Long-Lasting Results

Clinical data show that patients experience significantly fewer and less severe headaches after treatment. Many also see improvement in associated symptoms like dizziness, nausea, insomnia, and anxiety. The effects are durable, effectively breaking the cycle of recurrence.

What type of patient is suitable for this procedure?

This therapy is designed for patients with chronic refractory migraines. You may be a candidate if:

⚠️ You have 4 or more migraine attacks per month that are recurrent and treatment-resistant

⚠️ Conventional treatments (medication, physical therapy, etc.) haven’t worked for you

⚠️ Long-term headaches are causing insomnia, anxiety, memory decline, and affecting your work or daily life

⚠️ Your migraines are triggered by stress, lack of sleep, mood changes, seasonal shifts, or your menstrual cycle

⚠️ You want to reduce your reliance on daily medication and achieve longer-lasting control

End-to-End Care—From Evaluation to Recovery
The Headache and Sleep Disorders Clinic offers a complete closed-loop care pathway: precise pre-procedure assessment, individualized treatment planning, minimally invasive injection, and post-treatment follow-up. The clinic has moved beyond the old “just take a painkiller” approach—instead, it uses precision medicine to intervene at the source. If you’ve been suffering from refractory migraines for too long, you don’t have to endure it any longer. With our experienced team and proven techniques, we’re here to help you break free from the cycle and get back to a pain-free life.

For consultations, please visit the Headache and Sleep Disorders Clinic within the Department of Neurology at Peking University International Hospital.

Dr. XING Yan
Chief Physician

Professional Summary

Specialized in normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and motor neuron disease; cerebrovascular diseases; and disorders such as headache, dizziness, sleep disturbances, and somatoform disorders.

Resume

Dr. XING Yan, M.D., member of the Communist Party of China; currently serves as Director of the Department of Neurology, Chief Physician, and Ph.D. advisor at Peking University International Hospital; recipient of the State Council’s Special Government Allowance. Delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China; delegate to the 17th People’s Congress of Chaoyang District, Beijing.

She graduated from Peking Union Medical College in 2007 with a Doctor of Medicine degree in neurology and had conducted visiting research at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medicine in 2015 and at the Hydrocephalus Center at Umeå University in Sweden in 2022.

For many years, Dr. XING has dedicated herself to researching idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) and related neurodegenerative and cerebrovascular diseases. In 2017, she spearheaded the establishment of China’s first interdisciplinary academic organization focused on NPH research and standardized diagnosis and treatment. She established a multi-center case registry database for visualized NPH and organized nine sessions of the “International Advanced Training Course on Reversible Dementia Focusing on Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus” (a national-level continuing medical education program), training over 10,000 participants both in person and online, which has significantly advanced the standardized diagnosis, treatment, and clinical research of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus in China. Dr. XING also played a key role in helping his hospital secure the designations of “Advanced Stroke Center” and “Advanced Cognitive Center” from the National Health Commission in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

Dr. XING has participated in and led multiple national, provincial, and ministerial-level scientific research grant projects, receiving three provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards. She has published more than 50 professional papers, contributed to the compilation of five academic monographs, and participated in the development of six guidelines and consensus documents. She spearheaded the drafting and publication of the 2022 Chinese Guidelines for the Clinical Management of Idiopathic Normal-Pressure Hydrocephalus, which won the Annual Best Specialty Guideline/Consensus Award.

Academic and Professional Positions

• Chair of the Neurodegenerative Diseases Committee, Chinese Society of Microcirculation
• Head of the Chinese Hydrocephalus Collaborative Group
• Vice Chair of the Geriatric Cerebrovascular Diseases Branch, Chinese Geriatric Health Care Medical Research Association
• Standing Committee Member of the Vestibular Medicine (Vertigo) Committee, Chinese Society of Medical Education
• Executive Vice President, Beijing Society of Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Member of the Beijing Physicians Association
• Member of the Neurology Branch of the Beijing Medical Association
• Chair of the Neurology Committee of the Chaoyang District Preventive Medicine Association, Beijing
• Expert for the National Science and Technology Database; Reviewer for the Beijing Natural Science Foundation
• Reviewer for the Beijing Association for Science and Technology Talent Awards
• Member of the Beijing Stroke Quality Control Committee
• Editorial board member and peer reviewer for several journals
  
  

Honors and Awards

• In 2024, Dr. XING was nominated for the “Zhongguancun Figure Award” for Outstanding Contributions from the Beijing Association for Science and Technology
• In 2023, she was recognized as an Advanced Individual at a Model Party Member Post by the Joint Committee of Medical and Health Societies of the Communist Party of China in Beijing
• In 2021, she received the Second-Class Merit Award for Individual Contributions to Poverty Alleviation from the Aviation News and was elected as a delegate to the 17th People’s Congress of Chaoyang District, Beijing
• In 2019, she received a Special Government Allowance from the State Council
• In 2018, she received the Outstanding Contribution Award in the field of neurodegenerative diseases in China
• In 2017, she was elected as a delegate to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and recognized as an Outstanding Communist Party Member of the Aviation Industry
• Dr. XING has received three provincial and ministerial-level Science and Technology Progress Awards