Migraines: Acupuncture Reduces Pain & Frequency
A 2004 study published in the British Medical Journal followed patients’ progress over a 12-month period, comparing standard care with standard care PLUS acupuncture. The study concluded:
"Acupuncture in addition to standard care results in persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine, compared with controls," the researchers commented. "We also found improvements in quality of life, decreases in use of medication and visits to general practitioners, and reductions in days off sick."
Headache patients who received regular acupuncture sessions reported a reduction in the frequency and severity of headaches, which resulted in an improved quality of life with fewer missed work days, less medication, and fewer visits to their PCP and Urgent Care facilities.
The research was conducted at a number of acupuncture practices and general practices in Great Britain and Wales. 401 patients suffering from chronic headaches and/ or migraines were recruited to participate. They were randomized to receive either acupuncture plus “standard care” or “standard care” only from a general practitioner.
In the acupuncture group, subjects were treated with acupuncture weekly for three months. Each patient was assessed for their Chinese Medical Diagnosis and acupuncture points were prescribed based upon the diagnosis and at the discretion of the acupuncturist providing care.
In the “standard care" group, patients received standard headache care from their general practitioner, but were not referred out for acupuncture.
Patients used a daily diary to track the frequency and severity of headache pain, and any related medication use. Headache severity was measured four times a day on a six-point scale, with the total summed to give a headache score. In addition, the patients completed a Health Status Questionnaire at the start of the study, and at three months and at 12 months after treatment. Patients also completed a series of questionnaires every three months that monitored use of different headache treatments, days missed from work due to illness, and other activities.
At the 3-month interval, there was not much difference between patients in either group. By the 12-month interval, differences were noted in terms of frequency of headache, doctor visits and medication use:
Patients given acupuncture had an average of 1.8 less days with headaches over the first four weeks of the study compared to the control group. Authors of the study estimated that acupuncture would result in an average 22 fewer days of headaches per year.
The effects of acupuncture appeared to be long-lasting. At the start of treatment, the average weekly headache score among acupuncture patients was 24.6. Three months after the start of the study, the average score had dropped to 18.0; at 12 months, it had dropped by more than 34 percent, to 16.2. In the standard care patients, weekly headaches scores dropped only 16 percent over the course of the year.
Results showed significant benefits for acupuncture patients in terms of energy levels and improvements in health. Over 12-months these measurements improved over 10 points. The same scores also increased in standard care patients, but at lower levels.
Acupuncture patients used an average of 15 percent less medication to treat headaches than patients receiving only standard care. They also made 26 percent fewer visits to a general practitioner, and missed fewer days from work due to sickness.
The authors noted that the results of their study were similar to results seen in blinded, placebo-controlled trials, which "provides further evidence that bias does not completely explain the apparent effects of acupuncture."
References
1. Vickers AJ, Rees RW, Zollman CE, et al. Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomized trial. British Medical Journal Online First; doi:10.1136/bmj.38029.421863.EB. Published March 15, 2004. Available at www.bmj.com.
2. Acupuncture beats headache pain. BBC News, March 15, 2004.
THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT IS TAKEN FROM THIS NIH STUDY
“Acupuncture is a relatively recent treatment option for migraines. The Cochrane Systematic Review (2016), a commonly cited source, has reported acupuncture to be a useful alternative treatment that reduces the duration and frequency of migraine—both chronic and episodic [38]. Multiple studies have shown some levels of superiority of acupuncture over sham acupuncture [39, 40], and there is moderate evidence for acupuncture being at least non-inferior to conventional drug therapy (e.g., topiramate, for episodic migraine prevention), with one study proposing the superiority of acupuncture over propranolol based on an indirect comparison analysis [38, 41]. Currently, acupuncture is considered to be a safe, helpful, and available alternative option for patients who have not responded to or complied with conventional pharmacotherapy; it is also worth mentioning that there are far more acupuncture studies in the adult population than in the pediatric population [42]. Acupuncture therapy is only effective after a certain number of sessions (minimum 6–8), but the most effective timing (e.g., frequency of visits, when to initiate acupuncture) has not yet been determined [43].”
If you are interested in seeing how Acupuncture can help manage your pain and improve your health, then please sign up for a complimentary consultation on my website: https://retreatment.janeapp.com
I have excellent results treating migraines. The goal of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or Traditional East Asian Medicine (TEAM) is to resolve the pattern in your body so that migraines do not recur. My patients who benefit from treatment typically do a three month course of treatment one time weekly. They experience improving symptoms over the course of treatment measured by severity, number of occurrences, and duration of episode. After a course of treatment with a sustained period of being migraine-free, I will typically see a patients 6-12 times per year to maintain wellness.