Acupuncture may treat chronic headaches

    The October issue of the journal Headache has published a study that found that supplementing medical management with acupuncture may result in improvements in frequency and pain intensity of headaches.

    Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine were lead by Dr. Wunian Chen, an instructor in the department of family medicine trained in the use of traditional Chinese acupuncture. A randomized, controlled trial of 74 patients with chronic daily headache (CDH) compared medical management provided by neurologists to medical management plus ten acupuncture treatments. Daily pain severity and headache-related quality of life (QoL) were measured.

    Medical management plus acupuncture resulted in an improvement of three points on the Headache Impact Test and eight or more points on Short Form 36 Health Survey. After six weeks, patients receiving acupuncture were 3.7 times more likely to have less headaches.

    The International Headache Society criteria for chronic tension-type headache are headaches on 15 or more days a month (180 days per year), for at least six months. It is estimated that 4-7 percent of Americans suffer with chronic headaches.

    Source:
    Coeytaux RR, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of acupuncture for chronic daily headache. Headache 2005;45:1113-1123.