Acupuncture for Migraine.
March 20th, 2009
Acupuncture can be as effective as prophylactic medications for the treatment of migraine. In about half of individuals treated with acupuncture, migraine headache frequency decreases by about 50 percent, similar to the effectiveness of allopathic therapies for the treatment of migraine.
Migraine headaches are characterized by recurrent attacks of one-sided, severe headache, typically with sensitivity to light and sound and nausea. Many individuals who experience migraine can adequately treat acute attacks.
Those that have frequent migraines may require prophylactic medications. These individuals can often integrate acupuncture into their conventional health care as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of migraine-related pain.
Medications such as topiramate, flunarizine, valproic acid, metoprolol, and propranolol can reduce migraine frequency in some individuals, but these drugs can cause adverse side effects over a long period of time. Compared with these medications, acupuncture has virtually no side effects and is a safe and effective short- or long-term therapy for the treatment of migraines.
Over 10 percent of individuals who utilize acupuncture select it as a therapy option for the treatment of migraine. Several studies indicate that acupuncture works through the release of neurotransmitters in the brain, which can provide migraine pain relief.
Migraine attacks can often be prevented or managed by a healthy diet, adequate sleep and non-drug approaches, such as acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, homeopathy, biofeedback, hypnosis, meditation, and yoga. This kind of preventative approach can be effective in the treatment of migraine.
Acupuncture for migraine can reduce the intensity and frequency of migraine as well as analgesic consumption, and is often effective in cases where individuals receive little pain relief from medication.
Acupuncture activates the parasympathetic nervous system to decrease stress and treat the causes and symptoms that are unique to each individual. Migraine may be accompanied by stress and may be complicated by other health conditions causing pain such as degenerative arthritis, structural or chemical abnormalities in or around the brain, spine disease, and musculoskeletal dysfunction.
The brain’s natural painkillers, endorphins, are stimulated with acupuncture. Acupuncture also stabilizes levels of serotonin, a chemical messenger in the brain, which can reduce pain. Acupuncture can effectively treat migraine through a combination of selected local scalp points combined with distal points located on the affected meridians.
Individuals using acupuncture often have fewer migraines, less severe migraines and they use less health resources over the course of the following years.
For more information about acupuncture for the treatment of migraine call Dr. Richard Browne, Acupuncture Physician, at (305) 595-9500.
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