Acupuncture helps chronic headaches. And in particular migraine.

Acupuncture and migraine: a new study from UK

According to a new study published in the British Medical Journal, Acupuncture helps to relieve the chronic headaches, migraine in particular. Such are the conclusions of a clinical study, carried out in England and in Wales.

The study aimed at evaluating if acupuncture could be effective, in the case of the headaches, to be integrated into the free care of the system of public health in England.

The researchers followed 401 patients suffering from chronic headaches, mainly from migraines for 12 months.

These patients had been divided in two groups: one received up to 12 treatments of acupuncture for three months, while the others were treated with a usual medication and were used as a reference group.

Researches measured the gravity of the headaches among patients after 3 and 12 months. They also evaluated, the need to take drugs or to consult a doctor.

After 12 months, the results showed that the headaches had decreased twice more in the group treated by acupuncture that in the group which received a medication (reduction of 34% against 16%).

The patients, who belonged to the group treated by acupuncture, counted on average 22 days fewer headaches per year. The acupuncture group had used less drugs, made less medical visits and taken less sick leave.

The researchers concluded that acupuncture produces beneficial and persisting effects among patients suffering from chronic headaches, especially from migraines.

My comment:

In my experience acupuncture combined with gentle mobilisation of neck muscles is the most effective way to treat migraines. Sometimes the researchers are so busy determining what exactly worked and how, that they stop seeing the bigger picture. And in the case of migraine, a combination of therapies is significantly more effective than either therapy on its own. It is important to relax the neck muscles and acupuncture alone is not as effective. There was another study on migraines, where they injected Botox into acupuncture points to relax the neck muscles and to stimulate the acupuncture points. The result was a long term relief. However, there are risks involved in using Botox, not to mention it is very expensive.

More about acupuncture, neck pain and headache here.

“A vast improvement in the pain and sciatica” Tonia Oliver, RM, RN

I’ve been seeing Vitalis for treatment of my back for the past two months. In that time I’ve seen a vast improvement in the pain and sciatica my back injury has caused. A great relief after five years.

I have found Vitalis to be very professional in my dealings with him and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to anyone suffering from back injury or pain.

Tonia Oliver, RM, RN

Fibromyalgia :: Acupuncture effectively relieves pain, anxiety and tiredness

Fibromyalgia is a disabling disorder. It is characterized by chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain and symptoms. It’s often keeps company with fatigue, joint stiffness, memory and concentration problems, anxiety, depression and disturbed sleep.

The exact cause of fibromyalgia remains unknown, but it is believed to involve a combination of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors that affect the way the nervous system processes pain signals.  No cure is known and available, most of the treatments are only partially effective.

Researchers are often turning their heads to time-tested acupuncture when there is no pharmacological option available. A dedicated team of researchers from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine embarked on an adventure to test the hypothesis that acupuncture could improve the symptoms of fibromyalgia. They designed a study where patients would either receive true acupuncture or simulated acupuncture, serving as the control group. And prior to the study, all the participants had tried numerous other treatments without success.

The team of researchers were pleasantly surprised that acupuncture significantly improved fibromyalgia symptoms compared to the control group. And not only pain. Among other symptoms, fatigue and anxiety were also greatly reduced.

Acupuncture may be a complication-free form of pain relief for patients with fibromyalgia, say Mayo Clinic researchers.

This study affirms a lot of clinical impressions that this complementary medical technique is helpful for patients.

Learn more about pain relief with acupuncture.