Acupuncture for Patients With Migraine

Acupuncture is commonly used to prevent migraine attacks, but evidence is limited. This study examines acupuncture's effectiveness compared to sham acupuncture and no acupuncture. The trial involved 302 patients, mostly women, aged 43 years on average. Patients were treated at 18 outpatient centers in Germany over eight weeks. Each participant received 12 sessions of either acupuncture or sham treatment. Headache diaries were completed for assessment before and after treatment. Between the baseline and weeks 9 to 12, the acupuncture group reduced headache days by 2.2 days. The sham acupuncture group also reduced headache days by 2.2 days. In contrast, the waiting list group reduced headache days by only 0.8 days. No significant differences were found between acupuncture and sham treatments. However, acupuncture was more effective than waiting list control. The proportion of responders was 51% for acupuncture and 53% for sham treatment. Clinical relevance: This research indicates that acupuncture and sham acupuncture are similarly effective for migraine prevention.