Check out this answer from Consensus:
The collective evidence suggests that acupuncture can be an effective treatment option for reducing the frequency and intensity of headaches, including both tension-type headaches and migraines. It appears to be more effective than no treatment or routine care and offers small but significant benefits over sham acupuncture. Additionally, acupuncture may be as effective as prophylactic drug treatments with fewer adverse effects. However, more long-term studies are needed to fully understand its sustained benefits.
Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medicine technique, is frequently used to treat various types of headaches, including tension-type headaches and migraines. Despite its widespread use, the effectiveness of acupuncture for headache relief remains a topic of debate within the medical community.
Key Insights
- Effectiveness Compared to No Treatment or Routine Care:
- Effectiveness Compared to Sham Acupuncture:
- Effectiveness Compared to Prophylactic Drug Treatment:
- Long-term Effects:
- Safety and Adverse Effects:
Does acupuncture work for headaches?
Andrew Vickers has answered Near Certain
An expert from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Biostatistics
There is good scientific evidence that acupuncture works for chronic headaches. It isn’t that if you have a headache, you get acupuncture and then feel better. But if you are the sort of person who gets bad headaches and you go for a course of acupuncture treatments, say, once a week for 8 to 12 weeks, then after the course of treatment, your headaches will become less frequent or less severe. The Acupuncture Trialists’ Collaboration analyzed data from 20,827 patients with chronic pain taking part in 39 high quality randomized trials. Acupuncture was superior to sham (placebo) acupuncture as well as to no acupuncture control for each pain condition, including chronic headache and migraine. There was also evidence that the effects of acupuncture persist over time with only a small decrease, approximately 15%, in treatment effect at 1 year. There was also evidence that an important part of the effects of acupuncture are not specific to the exact acupuncture prescription used. In simple terms, that means that it doesn’t matter so much where exactly the needles are inserted, but that some needles are inserted and that the patient experiences the general experience of having a course of acupuncture treatments.
Does acupuncture work for headaches?
Arne May has answered Near Certain
An expert from University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Neurology
Several well-done studies showed that accupuncture can be effective in migraine in upt to 50% of patients. The sham group (equals a placebo group in medication studies) in these studies also was effective in up to 50%, which is the reason that these studies can show that true acupuncture is effective- but not better that sham-acupunctur. This leads to the simple notion that patinet sshould try acupuncture and see whether they belomg to the 50% responders. On the other hand: If the first couple of acupucture sessions do not help, it does perhaps not make sense to keep going.
References:
A Randomized Clinical Trial on Acupuncture Versus Best Medical Therapy in Episodic Migraine Prophylaxis: The ACUMIGRAN Study. Giannini G, Favoni V, Merli E, Nicodemo M, Torelli P, Matrà A, Giovanardi CM, Cortelli P, Pierangeli G, Cevoli S.Front Neurol. 2021 Jan 15;11:570335. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2020.570335
Acupuncture for patients with migraine: a randomized controlled trial. Linde K, Streng A, Jürgens S, Hoppe A, Brinkhaus B, Witt C, Wagenpfeil S, Pfaffenrath V, Hammes MG, Weidenhammer W, Willich SN, Melchart D.JAMA. 2005 May 4;293(17):2118-25. doi: 10.1001/jama.293.17.2118.
Does acupuncture work for headaches?
Antonio Russo has answered Likely
An expert from University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in Neurology
Several observations have supported acupuncture as a prophylaxis therapy for migraine. Moreover, recent data suggest not only that acupuncture could be adopted as migraine prophylaxis but also that it seems to be slightly superior to pharmacological treatment in compliance and rate of adverse events.
Does acupuncture work for headaches?
Fayyaz Ahmed has answered Unlikely
An expert from Hull York Medical School in Neurology
Many studies on acupuncture have had no conclusive findings. Some indicate it works and others were negative. On balance probably Acupuncture may have a mild benefit. However, it is certain that it does not harm you so if it is available, go for it unless it is too expensive as the evidence of its efficacy is very low.
Does acupuncture work for headaches?
Anna Andreou has answered Uncertain
An expert from King’s College London in Neuroscience, Neurology
Acupuncture up to 10 sessions is NICE approved for the preventive treatment of migraine and tension type headache, after other first line preventives, ie topiramate and propranolol failed to provide adequate relief or are not suitable. Like with all other treatments, not all patients will respond to acupuncture.