Research: GAO and colleague

Listed in Issue 51

Abstract

GAO and colleagues, Heilongjiang Academy of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Peoples Republic of China write that according to Chinese medicine, the differential diagnosis of migraine headache may be classified based upon the state of the viscera, channels and collaterals. The authors conducted a study to test the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for migraine headache .Methods: 64 patients were divided into 2 equal groups: one group received acupuncture and the other group received conventional drug treatment. Acupuncture treatment prescriptions combining distant and local acupoints were selected according to the differential diagnosis.

Background

Methodology

Results

The efficacy rates in the acupuncture and control groups respectively were as follows: Cure: 75% versus 34.4%; marked improvement: 18.8% versus 28.1%; no effect: 6.3% versus 37.5%. The overall effective rates for the acupuncture and control groups were 93.8% and 62.5% respectively, indicating a significantly greater effect in the acupuncture group.

Conclusion

The results of the above small study suggests that acupuncture may be an effective treatment for migraine headache .

References

Gao S et al. A comparative study on the treatment of migraine headache with combined distant and local acupuncture points versus conventional drug therapy. American Journal of Acupuncture 27(1-2): 27-30. 1999.

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