Health Brief

ACUPUNCTURE EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR MIGRAINE HEADACHES

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According to a study published in the British Medical Journal, Acupuncture improves the quality of life among patients suffering with chronic headaches.

401 adults were randomly divided into two groups. All of the participants, aged 18 to 65, had a history of chronic headaches.

The Acupuncture group received up to 12 Acupuncture treatments over a three-month period; the remaining patients received only standard care.

One year after the study, researchers found that patients in the Acupuncture group experienced 22 fewer days with headaches; used 15% less medication; made 25% fewer visits to their doctor, and used 15% fewer sick days from work than patients in the control group.

The British Medical Journal also published a study that assessed the cost-effectiveness of Acupuncture treatment.

Results of this study showed that Acupuncture improved the quality of life amongst these patients suffering from chronic headaches at a small additional cost.

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SOURCE: British Medical Journal, March 15, 2004, March 27, 2004; www.ncbi.nlm.nihsov.