Migraine Headahces and the Science behind Acupuncture for Migraine Relief

What is a Migraine?

Migraine headaches can be debilitating, affecting millions of people worldwide. As a conventionally trained medical doctor I have been trained how to determine if a headache is a migraine and how to check for signs that more of an evaluation is needed (like and MRI or CT scan). Migraine headaches are often unilateral (on one side of the head) and usually associated with a sensitivity to light and stomach upset in the form or nausea and sometimes vomiting. Oftentimes a person having a migraine will need to retreat to a dark room until it passes

The Western Medicine Perspective

In medical school we learned how to use some medications to help prevent migraine headaches and other medications to help treat the pain and abort the pain of an acute migraine. If a person is having more than 3 headaches per month then we would offer the preventative medicines. These medicines work but often have associates side effects that limit their usefullness. They also do not help us to know why are these migraine headaches are occurring. What is your body trying to tell you? Could this headache be a kind of communication from the body?

There are many possible triggers for migraine headaches. These include: stress, poor sleep, dehydration, and dietary factors. Certainly people who suffer from migraines often find that migraines run in their families. The univeristy of Wisconsin's integrative medicine department offers a free headache diary that can be very helpful for someone who is looking to find possible triggers.

The Benefits of Acupuncture for Migrain Relief

Acupuncture and Eastern medicine offers an another perspective. Acupuncture is a ancient Chinese practice, used for thousands of years. Through the use of very tiny needles into specific points, acupuncture is believed to help balance the body's energy or "qi" (pronounced "chee"). By stimulating points along the body's meridians, acupuncture may promote increased blood flow, reduce inflammation, and release endorphins (the body's natural pain killers). This holistic approach can help address the underlying causes of migraines, rather than just treating the symptoms.

I have been trained in a Japanese style of acupuncture that refers back to some of the more ancient texts. The school where I trained was specifically for professionals trained in western medicine and integrated some of our understandings of the nervous and muscular systems in the body and how they interact with the energy system accessed through acupuncture (also called the meridians).

Beyone migraine relief, acupuncture can also help manage associated symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, and stress.

Clinical Evidence

Research on acupuncture shows it to be a promising treatment option for many sufferers. The current evidence from serveral respected clinical trials has shown acupuncture to be a safe and effective treatment option for reducing the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. A structured regimen of 16 sessions over 2months was found to be particularly helpful. A systematic review published in the Brittish Medical Journal found that acupuncture was more effective than standard care for migraine prevention. Many participants reportd fewer headache days and a decrease in medication use.

What to expect

Your first session with me would be 90 min long. In that visit we would spend some time reviewing your medical history. I will also do an exam to assess for imbalances in your energy/meridian system. Then you will receive 30 to 40 minutes of acupuncture. Follow up sessions would be 60 min long. Acupuncture is a powerful healing tool and benfits can be appreciated after the first treatment. But treatments for chronic conditions , like migraine headaches, often take time to provide full benefit. I strongly recommend you plan to come once a week for at least 5 weeks. After this time we can determine how you are benefiting and decide how many more treatments may be needed.

References:

Manual acupuncture versus sham acupuncture and usual care for prophylaxis of episodic migraine without aura: multicentre, randomised clinical trial.BMJ 2020;368:m697

Efficacy of acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis: a trial sequential meta-analysis.
J Neurol 2021 Nov;268(11):4128-4137

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Therapeutic Effect of Acupuncture on Migraine. Front Neurol. 2020; 11: 596.