Acupuncture has the ability to ease headaches
Acupuncture treatments cut the frequency of
tension headaches in half in individuals prone to the ailment, a new study found. But the researchers also point out that minimal acupuncture -- defined as "superficial needling at non-acupuncture points" and considered a sham treatment -- was just as effective, according to a German study. "Based on the results of our trial, as well as of yet-unpublished observational data from a larger number of patients in routine care, it seems that many (German) patients benefit definitively, so I see no reason to discourage patients from trying it," said Dr. Klaus Linde, senior author of the study and an epidemiologist with the Institute of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at the Technical University of Munich. But he added, "As there was no relevant effect over an inadequate
acupuncture intervention, I would be a bit cautious to actively recommend it widely." According to the study authors, in a given year, 38 percent of Americans have episodic tension-type headaches and 2 percent have chronic, tension-type headaches. In 1997, a consensus statement issued by an expert panel at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, included
headache as one of a number of conditions that might be helped by
acupuncture. While acupuncture is widely used for different types of headaches, experts remain conflicted over how effective it really is. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is practiced to restore the flow of energy in the body. The technique most widely studied by scientists involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by hand or electrical stimulation. For the randomized, controlled trial at 28 outpatient centers in Germany, 270 mostly female patients experiencing
tension headaches were divided into three groups. One group was treated with traditional acupuncture and another with
minimal acupuncture, while the control group received no acupuncture at all. Those in the two acupuncture groups received 12 sessions each spread over eight weeks. Headache rates among those in the traditional acupuncture group fell by almost half:
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