The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7348 p539
7 May 2005

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Acupuncture no better than sham treatment for migraine

Acupuncture is no more effective than sham acupuncture for treating migraine, although both are more effective than no treatment, a new study suggests (JAMA 2005;293:2118).

A total of 302 outpatients with a history of migraine attacks received acupuncture, needles placed at non-acupuncture points or no treatment and completed headache diaries. The mean number of days with moderate to severe headache decreased by 2.2 from 5.2 days in the acupuncture group, by 2.2 from 5.0 days in the sham acupuncture group and by 0.8 from 5.4 in the no treatment group. The results showed no difference between the acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups although the acupuncture group experienced fewer headaches than the control group (P<0.001).