Acupuncture Therapy

Study data from Y. Li et al provide new insights into headache and migraine

Acupuncture Therapy Library Library Home This article was published in Pain & Central Nervous System Week, which you can subscribe to online.

"Convincing evidence of its efficacy in alleviating pain, however, has been inadequate to date. A total of 218 patients with migraine were recruited for the study; 180 met the inclusion criteria; 175 completed the callback process and were randomized into 3 groups. One group received verum acupuncture while subjects in the other 2 groups were treated with sham acupuncture. Each patient received 1 session of treatment and was observed over a period of 24 hours. The main outcome measure was the differences in visual analog scale (VAS) scores before treatment and 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 hours after treatment. Significant decreases in VAS scores from baseline were observed in the fourth hour after treatment when VAS was measured in the patients who received either verum acupuncture or sham acupunctures (P < .05). The VAS scores in the fourth hour after treatment decreased by a median of 1.0 cm, 0.5 cm, and 0.1 cm in the verum acupuncture group, sham acupuncture group 1, and sham acupuncture group 2, respectively. Similarly, there was a significant difference in the change in VAS scores from baseline in the second hour after treatment among the 3 groups (P = .006). Moreover, at the second hour after treatment, only patients treated with verum acupuncture showed significant decreases in VAS scores from baseline by a median of 0.7 cm (P < .001). Significant differences were observed in pain relief, relapse, or aggravation within 24 hours after treatment as well as in the general evaluations among the 3 groups (P < .05). Most patients in the acupuncture group experienced complete pain relief (40.7%) and did not experience recurrence or intensification of pain (79.6%). Verum acupuncture treatment is more effective than sham acupuncture based on either Chinese or Western nonacupoints in reducing the discomfort of acute migraine. Verum acupuncture is also clearly effective in relieving pain and preventing migraine relapse or aggravation," wrote Y. Li and colleagues.

The researchers concluded: "These findings support the contention that there are specific physiological effects that distinguish genuine acupoints from nonacupoints.."

Li and colleagues published their study in Headache (Acupuncture for Treating Acute Attacks of Migraine: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Headache, 2009;49(6):805-816).

For additional information, contact Y. Li, 37 Shi Er Qiao Rd., Chengdu 610075, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.

The publisher's contact information for the journal Headache is: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc., Commerce Place, 350 Main St., Malden 02148, MA, USA.

Keywords: People's Republic of China, Chengdu, Headache and Migraine, Acupuncture Therapy, Clinical Trial Research, Headache, Migraine, Migraine Disorder, Neurology, Treatment.

This article was prepared by Pain & Central Nervous System Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Pain & Central Nervous System Week via NewsRx.com.