Acupuncture May Be Useful for Migraines

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Acupuncture May Be Useful for Migraines

 

Acupuncture May Have Potent Placebo Effect, Like Many

Complex Medical Procedures, Say Researchers

 

By Salynn Boyles

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

on Tuesday, May 03, 2005

 

May 3, 2005 -- Study after study has shown acupuncture

to be effective in treating a host of different

ailments, but new research is raising questions about

why the ancient Chinese practice works.

 

Patients in the study suffering from frequent migraine

headaches got better when treated with acupuncture.

But acupuncture was found to be no more effective than

so-called " sham " treatment, in which acupuncture

needles were placed in areas of the body that are not

believed to be active acupuncture points.

 

" The theory that acupuncture works because the needles

are placed in very specific spots hasn't been proven

to be the case in this study, " researcher Klaus Linde,

MD, tells WebMD. " It may make a difference for other

conditions like osteoarthritis, but for migraines it

doesn't seem to matter where the needles are placed. "

 

In both groups the average number days per month with

moderate to severe headaches declined from roughly

five to three.

 

The new study is published in the May 4 issue of The

Journal of the American Medical Association.

 

Ancient and Modern Theories

 

According to traditional Chinese belief, acupuncture

targets a life force known as qi (pronounced " chee " ),

usually described as the normal functional energy

associated with all living processes. It is thought

that more than 200 specific acupuncture points exist

along the pathway in which this energy must travel for

good health. Imbalances in this vital life energy are

said to result in disease.

 

The view of Western medicine is somewhat different.

Modern science professes that acupuncture needles may

stimulate nerves, altering messages from the brain and

spinal cord. Acupuncture treatment is believed to

promote the release of endorphins -- the body's

natural pain relievers -- and other neurotransmitters

like serotonin.

 

In the newly reported study, researchers from Munich,

Germany's Center for Complementary Medicine Research

randomly assigned 302 patients who suffered from

frequent migraine headaches to receive either

traditional acupuncture, " sham " acupuncture, or no

acupuncture at all.

 

Both acupuncture groups underwent 12 sessions over

eight weeks, and both groups reported the same decline

in moderate or severe headache days in the month after

the treatment ended. Roughly half of all patients who

received acupuncture treatment reported at least a 50%

reduction in headache days, compared with 15% of the

nonacupuncture patients.

 

Treatment Not a Sham

 

The study is not the first to find " sham " acupuncture

to be as effective as the real thing. While it is not

clear why, Linde says there are probably both physical

and psychological factors involved.

 

It has been suggested that hands-on therapies that

involve repetitive stimuli like acupuncture and

massage can alter the perception of pain.

 

The benefits may also be derived from the patient's

belief that acupuncture works -- the so-called

" placebo effect " -- and the ritual associated with

treatment, Linde says.

 

Acupuncture expert Peter Wayne, PhD, says the impact

of the hands-on interaction between the patient and

the acupuncture provider can't be underestimated. Most

acupuncture sessions take around 30 minutes, far

longer than the average patient sees a doctor during a

routine office visit.

 

Wayne is research director of the New England School

of Acupuncture in Watertown, Mass.

 

" There are some very creative studies under way right

now examining the effect of the interaction between

patients and their practitioners, " he tells WebMD. " In

conventional medicine the time spent with a doctor is

getting shorter and shorter, and we don't really

understand the implications of this. "

 

 

--

 

SOURCES: Linde, K. The Journal of the American Medical

Association, May 4, 2005; vol 293: pp 2118-2125. Klaus

Linde, MD, Center for Complementary Medicine Research,

Technische University, Munich, Germany. Peter Wayne,

PhD, director of research, New England School of

Acupuncture, Watertown, Mass.

 

 

 

 

 

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