Ο acupuncture It may provide relief for people with severe chronic headaches, as shown by a new small Chinese study.
Tension headaches often cause a feeling of pressure or tightness on both sides of the head. These headaches do not worsen with physical activity and do not cause nausea. They are considered chronic when they occur at least 15 days a month. It is not uncommon for sufferers to turn to alternative medical methods, and the new study shows that acupuncture, at least, can have a positive effect, reducing the average number of days per month with headaches.
The researchers, led by Dr. Ying Li of the University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chengdu, who published their findings in the journal «Neurology,» published by the American Academy of Neurology, studied 218 people diagnosed with chronic headaches, accompanied by a feeling of tension for an average of 11 years and 22 days per month.
The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: one that received true deep acupuncture and one that received only superficial acupuncture. Both groups received two to three acupuncture sessions per week at a hospital, for a total of 20 sessions over two months, and were then monitored for six months to determine whether there had been any change in their headaches.
It was found that in the first group receiving true deep acupuncture (68%), two out of three patients reported, on average, a reduction of at least 50% in the number of dayswith headaches, compared to 50% of patients in the second group receiving superficial acupuncture.
According to the study, the number of days with headaches decreased from 20 to seven days per month after deep acupuncture and from 23 to 12 days per month after superficial acupuncture. Any side effects were mild in both cases.
«Although the study showed that acupuncture can reduce headaches, more research is needed to determine the long-term effectiveness of acupuncture and how it compares to other treatment options,» Li said.
