Research, Headaches
Acupuncture good at controlling tension headaches: Cochrane review
Posted: 11 Mar 2009 08:37 PM PDT
http://chinesemedicinenews.com/2009/03/11/acupuncture-good-at-control-te...
Acupuncture versus metoprolol in migraine prophylaxis: a randomized trial of trigger point inactivation.
OBJECTIVES. To compare the effects of dry needling of myofascial trigger points in the neck region to metoprolol in migraine prophylaxis.
DESIGN. Randomized, group comparative study. patients, investigator and statistician were blinded as to treatment, the therapist was blinded as to results.
Acupuncture treatment of chronic tension headache -- a controlled cross-over trial.
In a controlled trial the effect of traditional Chinese acupuncture v. placebo acupuncture was evaluated in 18 patients with chronic tension headache (mean disease duration 15 years). All patients suffered from daily or frequently recurring headache, the intensity of which was recorded by the patient over a period of 15 weeks. Each patient was treated by traditional Chinese acupuncture as well as by placebo acupuncture in a cross-over design following randomization. Each period of treatment comprised six treatments. Traditional Chinese acupuncture was found to be significantly more pain-relieving than placebo acupuncture, according to the pain registration of the patients themselves. The pain reduction was 31%. Acupuncture is therefore found to be a reasonable treatment for chronic tension headache.
Acupuncture for Migraine and Recurrent Headaches: Study Finds "Promising Results" but Calls for More Research
Acupuncture is widely used in the management of headaches. It can be applied as a single form of care, or as part of a comprehensive treatment program. Despite its popularity, however, there are still debates as to what role acupuncture plays in reducing or eliminating pain associated with recurrent headaches.
In the November 1999 issue of Cephalalgia, scientists from the Research Center for Complementary Medicine at Technische Universitat in Munich evaluated the effectiveness of acupuncture in combating headaches by systematically reviewing 22 randomized controlled trials. Included in the review were studies comparing acupuncture with any type of control intervention for the treatment of migraine or recurrent headaches.
