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Research: MELCHART and others,
Listed in Issue 97
Abstract
MELCHART and others, Zentrum fuer naturheilkundliche Forschung, II. Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik, TU Muenchen, Germany, similarly introduce the design of acupuncture trials in patients with migraine or tension headaches.
Background
The aim of these two studies will be to compare the efficacy of acupuncture with that of no treatment or minimal acupuncture in patients with migraine and tension-type headaches, respectively.
Methodology
Both trials will be randomized controlled multicentre trials with three arms over a total period of 28 weeks. 300 patients will be randomly divided into three groups. The first of these, comprising 150 patients, will receive semi-standardized acupuncture (12 sessions over 8 weeks). The second group of 75 patients will receive minimal needling at non-acupuncture points. The third group, the waiting list controls (75 patients), will receive no treatment for 12 weeks followed by semi-standardized acupuncture. The main outcome measure will be the difference between the number of days with headache in the 4 weeks before and weeks 9 to 12 after randomization.
Results
Conclusion
From the results of these two studies, expected in 2004, it should be possible to make a sound judgement about the helpfulness of acupuncture for migraine and tension headaches.
References
Melchart D, Linde K, Streng A, Reitmayr S, Hoppe A, Brinkhaus B, Becker-Witt C, Wagenpfeil S, Pfaffenrath V, Hammes M, Willich SN, Weidenhammer W. Acupuncture Randomized Trials (ART) in patients with migraine or tension-type headache – design and protocols. Forschende Komplementaermedizin und Klassische Naturheilkunde 10 (4): 179-184, Aug 2003.
