Patients who got real acupuncture had headaches reduce from 20 days to 7 days each month, while those who got shallow acupuncture saw a reduction from 23 days to 12 days each month.
A brand-new research study examines whether acupuncture can minimize headaches
According to a research study just recently released in Neurology, the main journal of the American Academy of Neurology, acupuncture might assist individuals with persistent tension-type headaches feel less discomfort.
The most typical indication of tension-type headaches is moderate to reasonably extreme pushing or tightening up feeling on both sides of the head. Physical workout does not make these headaches even worse, and they do not included queasiness. When they occur a minimum of 15 days a month, tension-type headaches are categorized as persistent.
“Tension-type headaches are one of the most common types of headaches and people who have a lot of these headaches may be looking for alternatives to medication,” stated research study author Ying Li, MD,Ph D., of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chengdu,China “Our study found that acupuncture reduces the average number of headache days per month for those struggling with these painful and disruptive headache attacks.”
218 individuals with a medical diagnosis of persistent tension-type headaches took part in the research study. They struggled with headaches of the tension-type typically 22 days each month for approximately 11 years. True acupuncture or shallow acupuncture was offered to individuals at random. True acupuncture treatments included producing a deqi feeling, which involved placing and controling a needle into the body to accomplish a tingling, pins and needles, or heaviness feeling. In order to avoid triggering the deqi sensation, the shallow treatments had a shallower body penetration. Both groups got 2 or 3 sessions a week for an overall of 20 sessions throughout 2 months, after which they continued to be observed for another 6 months.
The primary outcome determined in the research study was a decrease of a minimum of 50% in the variety of days with headaches. All individuals had center sees every 4 weeks. They likewise utilized headache journals to tape their signs and usage of severe medications.
At completion of the research study, 68% of individuals getting real acupuncture reported a minimum of a 50% decrease in the month-to-month variety of headache days compared to 50% of individuals who got shallow acupuncture.
Researchers discovered the variety of month-to-month headache days slowly reduced after treatment, in both those who got real acupuncture treatments and shallow acupuncture treatments. For those who got real acupuncture, headache days reduced from 20 days each month at the start of the research study to 7 days each month by the end of the research study. For those who got shallow acupuncture, headache days reduced from 23 days each month at the start of the research study to 12 days each month at the end of the research study.
The just negative effects from the treatment were moderate and did not need treatment.
“While this study showed that acupuncture can reduce headaches, more research is needed to determine the longer-term effectiveness of acupuncture and how it compares to other treatment options,” statedLi “In comparing treatment options, cost-effectiveness is another important factor to evaluate.”
A constraint of the research study was that the research study was carried out in one medical facility, so the outcomes might not use to all populations.
The research study was moneyed by the Department of Science and Technology of Sichuan Province and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Reference: “Acupuncture for Patients With Chronic Tension-Type Headache: A Randomized Controlled Trial” by Hui Zheng, Tao Gao, Qian-Hua Zheng, Ling-Yun Lu, Ting-Hui Hou, Shu-Sen Zhang, Si-Yuan Zhou, Xin-Yu Hao, Lu Wang, Ling Zhao, Fan-Rong Liang and Ying Li, 22 June 2022, Neurology
DOI: 10.1212/ WNL.0000000000200670
