Tension Headache

Acupuncture for Post-traumatic headache: Discover Relief

Are you battling from chronic post-traumatic headaches? The US Department of Defence has just the remedy for you. Military physicians are now endorsing acupuncture as the go-to treatment for headaches that arise from head trauma. Why? Because it is effective, safe, cost-effective and has sustained benefits.

Deep Dive into the Evidence

Dr Khusid is a researcher at Deployment Health Clinical Centre, US Department of Defence.  In her study Dr Khusid recommends acupuncture. Chronic post-traumatic headaches (PTH) are common among people who have sustained mild traumatic brain injuries. However, conventional treatments for headaches caused by head trauma remain insufficient. The current guidelines recommend a symptomatic approach for the three patterns of PTHs: migraine-like, tension-like, and mixed symptomatology. The symptomatic approach means that only the symptoms are treated/relieved, not addressing the root cause of the headaches. Furthermore, these treatments often come with their adverse effects, and the risk of dependency. For this reason, non-pharmacological treatment options are becoming more popular, such as acupuncture.

Studies show that acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis and neurovascular and tension-type headaches is at least as effective as drug therapy. In fact, it may be a valuable primary treatment alternative for people with contraindications to pharmacotherapy. And this treatment is renown for its’ long-lasting benefits, is cost-effectiveness, and safety.

A systematic review of clinical trials in 2009 showed that acupuncture was effective in managing acute migraine attacks and migraine prophylaxis. In addition, it demonstrated long-lasting therapeutic effects that can last up to nine months. The review also found that this natural therapy was slightly more effective than pharmacological treatments and had fewer side effects when used for migraine prophylaxis.

Recent randomized clinical trials further support acupuncture’s efficacy for chronic post-traumatic headaches. In one study, it was found to be more effective than flunarizine in reducing the number of days with migraine attacks, while being as effective in reducing pain intensity and improving quality of life. Another study showed that this ancient treatment was more effective in chronic migraine prophylaxis than topiramate, with fewer side effects.

Acupuncture is also beneficial for neurovascular headaches. A systematic review of 16 clinical trials concluded that it was superior to pharmacotherapy in treating neurovascular headaches, with additional advantages such as higher safety and lower recurrence rates.

In conclusion, acupuncture is a safe and effective alternative to conventional pharmacotherapy for chronic post-traumatic headaches. It should be considered as a primary treatment option for individuals who prefer a trial of this time-tested therapy over medication, have drug contraindications, or show a poor response to standard care.

Journal reference article: Clinical Indications for Acupuncture in Chronic Post-Traumatic Headache Management

Don’t let post-traumatic headaches dictate your life. Consider acupuncture, a both time-proven and scientifically promising treatment. Reach out now for a consultation!

Neck pain and headaches

Painkillers make headaches worse, stick with acupuncture!

Painkillers often will make the headaches worse, a general practitioner from UK warns in the official advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice).

“Instead of taking these over-the-counter drugs to combat symptoms when they flare up, sufferers should try treatments that help prevent headaches in the first place – including acupuncture”

(Source: The Telegraph)

In the land of quaint cobblestones and grey skies, the United Kingdom finds itself grappling with a modern-day conundrum: a headache epidemic of sorts. As the afflicted grasp for relief in the form of aspirin, paracetamol, and ibuprofen, they inadvertently dig themselves deeper into the trenches of discomfort. A staggering five in six sufferers are women, with the path to healing obscured by the very medicines they have come to depend on.

With the aim of breaking this insidious cycle, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) advocates a change of approach. Rather than reaching for over-the-counter remedies at the first sign of pain, Nice implores headache sufferers to consider more preventive methods such as acupuncture. To further illuminate the path to relief, Nice unveils new guidance aimed at helping doctors more accurately diagnose and treat the various types of headaches that plague the population.

With nearly a fifth of the adult population in the throes of debilitating headaches, this modern malady is impossible to ignore. Among the afflicted, migraines and tension-type headaches claim the lion’s share, affecting seven million and 1.5 million individuals, respectively. A rare few – 50,000 to 100,000 – are tormented by excruciating ‘cluster’ headaches, while a staggering one million suffer from ‘medication overuse headaches,’ tethered to the very drugs they believed would bring relief.

Dr Manjit Matharu, a consultant neurologist and key figure in crafting the Nice guidelines, warns that patients with frequent tension-type headaches or migraines are particularly vulnerable to falling into a vicious cycle of worsening symptoms. Consuming normal doses of aspirin, paracetamol, or anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen for 15 days or more per month could result in medication overuse headaches. This risk remains, he emphasises, even when taking less than the maximum daily dose.

Dr Martin Underwood, a general practitioner and professor of primary care, reiterates this cautionary tale, stating that the only remedy is to cease taking the medications “abruptly.” This, however, is often a bitter pill for patients to swallow, as they must first endure a temporary intensification of their headaches.

In this battle against the throbbing temples, acupuncture emerges as the only treatment with a robust evidence base, often underestimated but proven to have real benefits. Nice has even previously recommended that acupuncture be made available through the NHS for chronic lower back pain and arthritis.

 

Migraine: Acupuncture vs Topiramate

Acupuncture is more effective in prevention of chronic migraine headaches and is 10 times safer compared to topiramate treatment. These are the findings of a study published in the current issue of Cephalalgia, a journal for the International Headache Society.

The researchers compared acupuncture with topiramate. They call for acupuncture to be considered a treatment option for chronic migraine patients, even for those patients with medication overuse.

Studies have shown that addressing tension in the neck, which often accompanies migraines and headaches can be very helpful reducing the severity and frequency of the headaches. I can see in my practice that combining acupuncture with gentle mobilisation of the neck muscles is the most effective way to manage acute migraine and to prevent migraines.

It will be interesting to see more studies looking into the combination of these treatments in the future.