Acupuncture for Migraines

Migraines are a common condition that many people suffer from. They are characterised by severe, recurrent head pain that can be debilitating and affect daily activities. In addition to intense head pain, migraine sufferers often experience symptoms such as sensitivity to light and sound, as well as nausea (Headache Classification Subcommittee of the International Headache Society, 2004).

Pharmacological treatments for migraines, including analgesics, triptans, and preventive medications, can help relieve symptoms. However, these treatments can come with side effects and may be limited in their effectiveness (Tfelt-Hansen, 2013). Moreover, long-term use of certain medications can lead to dependency or negative effects on the body, making alternative therapies like acupuncture an attractive option (Linde et al., 2013; Pringsheim et al., 2012).

Acupuncture, an ancient practice rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), has gained attention as a therapeutic approach for migraines. Increasing clinical research is demonstrating positive outcomes for both alleviating symptoms, preventing migraine attacks, and improving overall quality of life for migraine sufferers (Zhang, Wang, & McAlonan, 2012). In this article, we’ll explore how acupuncture works, the research supporting its effectiveness, and how it may serve as a complementary or alternative option for managing migraines.

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What are Migraines?

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Migraines are complex neurological conditions without a single known cause. Various factors, including stress, hormonal fluctuations, specific foods, environmental changes, and fatigue, can trigger migraines. The unpredictability of migraine attacks—ranging from a few hours to several days—can lead to significant disruptions in a person's daily life.

Common pharmacological treatments for migraines include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antiepileptic drugs, ergotamines, and triptans. While effective, these medications can cause side effects such as nausea, fatigue, insomnia, or even exacerbation of migraine symptoms (Tfelt-Hansen, 2013; Pringsheim et al., 2012; Gilmore & Michael, 2011).

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How Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture Helps Migraines

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From a TCM Perspective

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The Chinese medicine perspective on migraines is one that looks at the Qi of the body. The Qi is the energetic flow within the body. Blockages in the Qi can give rise to migraines. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine aims to restore the balance of the Qi. When the Qi of the body is moving as it should, our body functions in a better way.

Our Acupuncturists and Chinese Medicine Practitioners are able to find out exactly where the disharmonies of Qi are in the body. Through diagnostic investigations such as a medical intake, tongue diagnosis, pulse diagnosis, abdominal palpation and taking a full history of your health. Once identified, Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine treatments are tailored to your body's imbalances.

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From a Western Medicine Perspective

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From a biomedical perspective, Acupuncture works by activating multiple pathways in the nervous system (Zhang et al., 2012). According to research Acupuncture has an effect on various physiological systems, particularly when it comes to pain regulation (Zhang et al., 2012). During an Acupuncture treatment, the needles stimulate pathways that release endorphins. Endorphins are our bodies internal natural pain killers that can help alleviate pain (Zhang et al., 2012). Other changes also occur when needles are inserted, including the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin which is involved in pain and sleep regulation (Zhang et al., 2012). Research has also shown that Acupuncture helps with regulating the immune system and specifically reducing inflammation (Zhang et al., 2012). Both of which are relevant in pain management.

The research on Acupuncture's effectiveness at treating pain has been well researched for more than 60 years. The neural pathways that Acupuncture activates and the deactivation of pain centres in the brain have been mapped out (Zhang et al., 2012).

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(Zhang, Z. J., Wang, X. M., & McAlonan, G. M. (2012). Neural acupuncture unit: a new concept for interpreting effects and mechanisms of acupuncture. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2012, 429412. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/429412)

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What is Acupuncture Doing to Your Body for Migraines

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Pain modulation: When needles are inserted, endorphins are released in the body. This is the body’s natural pain killers (Zhang et al., 2012).

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Reduction of inflammation: There is inflammatory involvement in the development of migraines (Kursun et al., 2021). Studies have shown that acupuncture has an effect of reducing inflammatory cytokines (Zhang et al., 2012).

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Improved blood flow: Acupuncture is able to improve blood flow (Kim et al., 2016). The blood circulation plays an important role in migraines

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Nervous system regulation: Migraines can be triggered by stress. So regulation of the stress response is an aspect to migraine management. Acupuncture can modulate the HPA axis which is part of the stress response (Le et al., 2016; Lee et al., 2009; Liu et al., 2013)

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What Does the Research Say?

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A randomised clinical trial of 249 migraine participants found “Acupuncture significantly reduced the frequency of migraine attacks, compared with sham acupuncture” (Zhao et al., 2017). This research showed that acupuncture produced beneficial outcomes for migraines. Including reduction in frequency of migraines, pain intensity and quality of life (Zhao et al., 2017).

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A 2020 systematic review of 15 research papers provides insight into the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for migraines. There were many high quality studies and evidence included in this systematic review. Conclusions were drawn such as “Acupuncture had better long-term effective rate for migraine and reduced more headache days and the times of using painkiller than western medicine and sham acupuncture, both in short-term and long-term follow-up” (Li et al., 2020).

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Another randomised clinical trial of 150 migraine patients shows positive results for the use of Acupuncture for migraine prevention and treatment. Drawing conclusions that support the use of Acupuncture for the treatment of migraines (Xu et al., 2020).

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How does Acupuncture compare to pharmacological medications for migraines?

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Pharmacological medications are grouped into medication taken during the acute stage of a migraine to relieve pain, and a prophylaxis or preventive during remission to reduce migraine occurrence. These have been shown to be effective, however there are side effects (Pringsheim et al., 2012; Tfelt-Hansen et al., 2012; Gilmore et al., 2011; Tfelt-Hansen, 2013).

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In 6 systematic reviews that looked at the effectiveness of Acupuncture compared to medication, the conclusion is that Acupuncture treatment had fewer side effects than medication (Chen et al., 2014; Linde et al., 2016; Xian et al., 2013; Xu et al., 2018). This indicates that Acupuncture is a safe therapy for migraine treatment.

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The findings of the 2020 systematic review suggest that “the effective rate of acupuncture was superior to western medicine” (Li et al., 2020). In these studies, Acupuncture was out performing both sham acupuncture and western medicine (Li et al., 2020; Linde et al., 2016). When compared to prophylactic migraine medications, Acupuncture again reduced migraine frequency both in the short and long term (Linde et al., 2016). Another benefit that was found in these trials is that migraine participants that received acupuncture were less likely to drop out of the study due to side effects.

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Based on the safety and effectiveness, Acupuncture is a recommended treatment for migraines.

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