Migraines

Migraine sufferers seem to be especially vulnerable during the holidays. People are indulging more than they might at other times of the year, along with other changes in behavior such as sleep schedules, trawling shopping centers, eating different foods - all key factors in the onset of migraine.

Babylonians were bemoaning migraine as early as 3,000 B.C. and people have experimented with a battery of treatments ever since. Migraine disease affects approximately 30 million Americans, with up to 38 million Americans having migraine genetic propensity. More women have migraines than men since another chief trigger is the menstrual cycle. In the U.S. many people are prescribed a battery of medications, and for many, the headaches always come back.

According to MAGNUM (Migraine Awareness Group: A National Understanding for Migraineurs), migraine is "a neurological, and often times hereditary, disease typically characterized by severe, recurring head pain, usually located on one side of the head and one or more of the following associated symptoms: nausea; vomiting; and increased sensitivity to light, sound and smell. Other associated symptoms may include lightheadedness, diarrhea and scalp tenderness. Migraine symptoms vary for each individual sufferer, making diagnosis -- the key to an effective treatment program -- complicated."

MAGNUM finds that acupuncture can offer relief and a better quality of life, but not everyone is helped by acupuncture. Given the choice, however, even those who may be skeptical of acupuncture are willing to give it a fair test. For chronic migraine sufferers, 12 or more acupuncture sessions are often needed. After acupuncture, many experience less frequent migraines, and they find that acupuncture increases the effectiveness of their migraine medication.

In the research article, "Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial" (Vickers AJ, et al. BMJ Epub 2004 Mar 15.), Andrew J Vickers and fellow researchers determined the effects of acupuncture on patients with chronic headaches, particularly migraines. They randomly allocated patients to receive up to 12 acupuncture treatments over three months or to a control intervention offering usual care. After a year headaches were lower in the acupuncture group than in controls. Patients in the acupuncture group experienced the equivalent of 22 fewer days of headache per year (8 to 38). Compared with controls, patients randomized to acupuncture used 15% less medication, made 25% fewer visits to general practitioners and took 15% fewer days off sick. The researchers concluded that acupuncture leads to persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine.

I am encouraged that research is confirming what I have seen demonstrated over and over again in acupuncture clinics, and I hope that migraine sufferers will consult licensed acupuncturists to see if the therapy can work for them.

Arthritis & Rheumatism

In the November 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism (Vol. 54, pp. 3485-93, 3375-77), the researchers wrote that acupuncture may help reduce the need for patients with arthritis to take anti-inflammatory drugs. Anti-inflammatory drugs have significant side effects for many people, and generally give only short term relief for the chronic pain and inflammation of arthritis and rheumatism.

The reports says that patients who were treated with acupuncture in addition to routine care showed significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life compared with patients who received routine care alone. "The addition of acupuncture to the treatment regimen resulted in a clinically relevant and persistent benefit," the researchers concluded. The improvement in symptoms continued after the treatment had ended.

In 2004, I worked at an elderly day care center in Massachusetts during one of my student clinics and was dismayed by the number of medications prescribed to our clients. Many of my patients expressed frustration with the effort needed to keep track of the dosages, and many experienced side effects, which often resulted in additional medications.

Research shows, and I have witnessed, that acupuncture treatments can reduce or eliminate the need for some medications. It was a joy in my day to hear patients express their personal success whenever their doctors cut back their prescriptions. The doctors themselves were equally pleased, I assume, as they continued to refer patients to our clinic.

It is my hope that anyone who is dissatisfied with relying on drugs for their health will at least try acupuncture as a complementary therapy. As an acupuncturist, I welcome working with western medical doctors in an effort to improve the quality of life for our clients.