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Migraine Headaches and Acupuncture’s Ability To Treat Them

Acupuncture is a one type of complementary or alternative medicine that originated from TCM or traditional Chinese medicine. A well known pain-relieving treatment, acupuncture involves the insertion of filiform needles into specific points in the body known as acupuncture points or acupoints, for short. After insertion into the skin, the needles are then gently manipulated.

Migraine Prevention Acupuncture Treatment in Orlando – Between Attacks

Between your migraine attacks, if you decide to try acupuncture and get treated by a practitioner who knows the difference between treatment and prevention, an SES acupuncture form of treatment may be adopted for your migraines.

The practitioner will treat you with the SES technique when you are seated instead of lying down. The needles are then inserted very superficially under the surface of your skin. Acupoints selected for this procedure are often situated on the lower legs and forearms. The acupuncturist then slowly manipulates the needles manually pushing them back and forth while you exhale.

Migraine Acupuncture Treatment – During Attacks

For migraine patients who have decided to try acupuncture, if you are undergoing acupuncture treatment during a migraine attack, the practitioner will most likely insert needles into acupoints all over your body. The same back and forth procedure will be applied to the needles. The needles help dilate the blood vessels as they are manipulated boosting the circulation of blood flow throughout the tissues of the body.

There are other acupuncturists who may utilize a different acupuncture procedure for the treatment of migraine. Since migraine pain is widely attributed to the dilation of blood vessel dilation in the head, they would not insert the needles into the neck or head region. Doing so may only temporarily aggravate the pain. Instead, the acupoints that are selected for treatment are points located on the legs and arms.

Acupuncture for Migraines Studies

Four European newspapers, on March 15 2004 published a study revealing acupuncture’s effectiveness in treating migraines.

In these studies, migraine sufferers treated with acupuncture experienced less severe headaches compared to patients who were administered with conventional migraine treatment. Those who were treated with acupuncture visited the physician less frequently and were able to lessen their intake of medication. They also took less days off compared to the patients who only received standard care.

These studies involved a couple of randomized, controlled trials. One of them studied the effects of acupuncture treatment for migraines when combined with conventional migraine treatments. The study was performed in twelve different regions of Wales and England and involved the participation of 401 patients.

Studies on Acupuncture Treatment for Migraines in the United States

Studies published by two publications in the United States have led to convincing outcomes demonstrating acupuncture’s ability to provide symptomatic relief for migraine sufferers.

The Blackwell Synergy Study

A total of 160 subjects, all women, took part in this study. The study was to determine if acupuncture treatment for migraines really worked in treating migraine headaches. It tested acupuncture’s effectiveness compared to that of Flunarizine for migraine therapy.

One group was given acupuncture treatment once every two week for two months. At the end of the second month of testing, they were given acupuncture once a month for four months.

The second group was administered with Flunarizine every day also for two months. After two months, they were given the drug 20 days in a month for four months.

The outcome of the study was dramatic. It revealed that acupuncture treatment for migraines was more superior in terms of efficacy over Flunarizine.

JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association)

A JAMA publication entitled, “Acupuncture for Patients with Migraine,” posted a study showing 302 participants, all female migraine patients that were grouped into three. One group received real acupuncture treatment for migraines. The second group was treated with sham acupuncture for migraines, and the third was a wait-list control group.

The study’s conductors concluded that sham acupuncture was relatively equally effective as real acupuncture and both treatments showed superior results than that of the wait-list control.

Does Acupuncture Treatment for Migraines Hurt?

Unfortunately, there are lots of migraine sufferers who would rather endure their migraine attacks than be subjected to needles stuck in various parts of their body. If you are one of these people, here are some tips to help you overcome your needle phobia:

The first thing to do is to look for a qualified acupuncturist. You can ask your doctor, family, or friends for referrals.

After you’ve found one, visit the acupuncturist prior to setting up an appointment with him/her. Inquire if the acupuncturist uses disposable sterilized needles and about his/her needle-sterilizing procedures.

If you find you are still scared of needles, tell the acupuncturist if he/she has an alternative treatment that does not involve the use of needles. There are practitioners who use acupressure, electro-acupuncture, laser acupuncture, herbal remedies, ear cups, and/or magnetic needles in lieu of needle acupuncture.

Finally, you can now make an appointment. Be sure to explain the problem you are experiencing to your acupuncturist especially how intense the pain is and how frequent the attacks are. Give as much information as you can. Doing so will enable the acupuncturist to give you the best possible treatment that you need.

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