Benefits from acupuncture when treating chronic headache
Acupuncture can provide persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine.
This is the finding from an open trial of 401 patients recruited by their
GPs. The patients reported several days of headache every week, mostly
migraine-type headaches.
They were randomly allocated to receive either usual care, or up to 12
additional acupuncture treatments over a three-month period. Patients
completed a diary of headache and medicines use for four weeks at the
start of the study and then again at three months and one year. Compared
with controls, acupuncture patients used 15 per cent less medicines,
made 25 per cent fewer visits to their GP and took 15 per cent fewer
days off work. Headache score at 12 months was lower for acupuncture
patients, who also reported the equivalent of 22 fewer days of headache
per year.
The authors suggest that, in the light of their results, expansion of
NHS acupuncture services for headache should be considered (published
online at BMJ Online First 16 March 2004). |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal