Acupuncture Noninferior to Pharmacological Options for Migraines
Acupuncture could treat migraines as effectively as pharmacological therapies, according to the findings of a recent study presented at the 18th International Headache Society congress.
The randomized, controlled clinical study included 105 patients with migraine who had not received preventive treatment during the past 3 months. A total of 52 patients were randomly assigned to 12 sessions of acupuncture (group A) and 53 patients were assigned to receive pharmacological treatment (group B), which was determined based on what was appropriate for the patient. The frequency of headaches from baseline to the end of treatment was assessed, and response to treatment was defined by at least a 50% reduction in headache days.
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Overall, 74 patients completed the trial.
Migraine frequency among patients in group A decreased from 9.19 ± 2.99 to 4.36 ± 2.66 after 4 months of treatment compared with 8.25 ± 2.53 to 4.44 ± 2.37 reduction among those in group B. Headache frequency decreased significantly regardless of treatment, with 35.71% of those in group A responding to treatment and 31.25% of those in group B responding to treatment.
“Our preliminary data suggest that acupuncture was as effective as pharmacological treatment in decreasing migraine frequency,” the researchers concluded.
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
Cevoli S, Giannini G, Favoni V, et al. A randomized controlled clinical trial on the efficacy of acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis: the ACUMIGRAN study. Presented at: 18th Congress of the International Headache Society; September 7-10; Vancouver, CA; Abstract PO-01-070.