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CaptionAcupuncture is more effective than medication in reducing the severity and frequency of chronic headaches, according to a new analysis conducted by Duke University Medical Center researchers.
The National Institutes of Health recommended acupuncture as a viable treatment for chronic headaches a decade ago and, while research in this field has increased, there have been conflicting reports about its efficacy.
“We combed through the literature and conducted the most comprehensive review of available data done to date using only the most rigorously-executed trials,” says Tong Joo (T.J.) Gan, M.D., a Duke anesthesiologist who lead the analysis.
Researchers analyzed data from only randomized controlled trials evaluating acupuncture for adults with chronic headaches and were conducted for more than four weeks.
“Acupuncture is becoming a favorable option for a variety of purposes ranging from enhancing fertility to decreasing post-operative pain because people experience significantly fewer side effects and it can be less expensive than other options,” Gan says. “This analysis reinforces that acupuncture also is a successful source of relief from chronic headaches.”
While everyone experiences an occasional headache, more than 45 million Americans (one in six) suffer from chronic headaches, 20 million of whom are women. Medication remains the mainstay of treatment with varying levels of success.
The Duke team looked at studies that compared traditional acupuncture to either medication or a control group who received sham acupuncture. Similar to traditional acupuncture, the sham therapy entails inserting needles into the skin but the acupuncturist avoids meridians or areas of the body that Chinese medicine teaches contains vital energy associated with achieving balance needed for good health.
Researchers analyzed more than 30 studies to arrive at the findings published in the December issue of Anesthesia and Analgesia. The studies included nearly 4,000 patients who reported migraines (17 studies), tension headaches (10 studies) and other forms of chronic headaches with multiple symptoms (four studies).
In 17 studies comparing acupuncture to medication, the researchers found that 62 percent of the acupuncture patients reported headache relief compared to only 45 percent of people taking medication. These acupuncture patients also reported better physical well-being compared to the medication group. In 14 studies that compared real acupuncture to sham therapy, 53 percent of acupuncture patients responded to treatment compared to 45 percent receiving sham therapy.
“Acupuncture has been practiced for thousands of years but only recently has started to become more accepted as an alternative or supplement to conventional therapies,” Gan explains.
“One of the barriers to treatment with acupuncture is getting people to understand that while needles are used it is not a painful experience,” Gan says. “It is a method for releasing your body’s own natural painkillers.”
Acupuncture therapy is becoming widely available nationwide and a typical course of treatment for chronic headaches requires 30-minute sessions. Many people begin experiencing relief following five to six visits.
Gan also has conducted research to determine the effect of acupuncture on post-operative pain, nausea and vomiting. His research has found that acupuncture can significantly reduce pain and the need for pain medications following surgery. He also found that acupuncture can be as effective as medication in reducing post-operative nausea and vomiting.
The research was conducted in collaboration with Yanxia Sun, M.D. The meta-analysis was supported by Duke's Department of Anesthesiology.
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By Appletosh on 01/15 10:41 AM
A lawsuit filed filed against and claims the companies distributed even after learning the pumps had and the had repeatedly rejected the products, according to Courthouse News Service. The lawsuit also names and , saying the two companies encouraged the manufacturers to use their in conjunction with the even though the medications had not been properly tested. are a pain-management system that deliver medication directly to the surgical wound. The came under fire recently after linked intra-articular (or post-operative) to cases of , a progressive degeneration of the cartilage in the shoulder resulting in pain and loss of motion. is a chronic condition that often requires surgery. Until the 1990s, the delivered medication at a limited flow rate. In the late 1990s, manufacturers increased the amount of used in the . The lawsuit contends that continuous injection of the into the shoulder can cause to the joint cartilage in the shoulder. The lawsuit also claims the were marketed without first doing studies to determine the safety of the or what damage could have occurred, instead encouraging use of both the with the . “The plaintiffs are demanding compensatory damages for fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation negligence, strict liability, and breach of warranty,” according to the report.
By M Y on 12/31 01:49 PM
How do you know your headaches didn’t disappear on their own?
By No more headaches! on 12/31 10:59 AM
I suffered with chronic migraine for several years, was prescribed every kind of drug, went through biofeedback, diet modification, and went to the foremost headache specialists in the country for treatment ... but it wasn’t until I gave acupuncture a shot, that I finally had true headache relief. I am now down to only one prophylactic med, (but have 1/2-d my dose, and continue to wean off of it), and I haven’t used acute or rescue meds in nearly a year. Be a skeptic if you like, but acupuncture worked 100% for my chronic migraines, and I will enjoy 100% quality of life for a long time because of it.
By M Y on 12/15 02:45 AM
Acupuncture is no better than sham acupuncture in treating headache. See: Acupuncture for Patients With Migraine—A Randomized Controlled Trial; Klaus Linde, MD et al, JAMA. 2005;293:2118-2125.
That means that the effect is *entirely* placebo. The stats cited in the article are unimpressive and probably due to random variation. 45% of people are helped by random placement of needles. The classical theories of traditional Chinese medicine, Yin, Yang, Chi and meridians are archaic nonsense dating from centuries before anything worthwhile was known about the human body.
I have no problem with the use of needles to relieve headache in succeptible patients. I have a BIG problem with large insurance payments for something anyone can learn to do safely in a few hours of instruction. I have a problem with paying for the gobbledygook nonsense that goes with acupuncture. Belief in that garbage undermines the scientific method and trust in evidence-based medicine.
By Lisa White on 12/09 03:29 PM
What’s all the fuss? If someone feels better after having a benign treatment that causes no harm - how can be construed as an attack on science?
Acupuncture has been used as a healing modality on BILLIONS of people for thousands of years.
Try it - you might like it!
By Jimmy on 12/07 09:20 AM
I like milk.
By GW Bush on 12/07 09:19 AM
The only real medicine is that of the Lord, when he gives us his healing glory through his son Jesus Christ.
Repent.
By Lee A. Bricker, MD on 12/03 08:52 AM
Beyond belief, the conclusions drawn from the above “studies.” There is nothing there beyond placebo (which, however, can itself be powerful therapy). Is society’s war on science creeping into our prestigious medical schools?
By Paul Clusker on 12/03 08:26 AM
Is there an argument for studying acupuncture as a placebo, in order to improve our understanding of when and how to employ this effect. Surely this would reduce the cost of medicine to the and the cost of iatrogenic incidents to the individual and to medical providers.
By Carl Bartecchi, M.D. on 12/02 08:38 PM
I was surprised that the Duke researchers weren’t bothered by the fact that “In 14 studies that compared real acupuncture to sham therapy, 53 percent of acupuncture patients responded to treatment compared to 45 percent receiving sham therapy.” Before anyone considers using acupuncture for headaches or for anything, they need to read the books by Singh and Ernst - Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts About Alternative Medicine or Bausell - Snake Oil Science: The Truth About Complementary And Alternative Medicine, or Bartecchi - The Alternative Medicine Hoax.In fact, acupuncture is nothing more than a placebo, never proven to cure any disease.
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