Researchers in China have shown that acupuncture gives a long-term reduction in migraine frequency, compared with sham or no treatment. A total of 249 participants, aged 18 to 65, who experienced migraine without aura between two and eight times per month, were randomised to acupuncture, sham or waiting list groups. The acupuncture groups had sessions five days per week for four weeks. Patients were followed up for a further 20 weeks after the end of treatment. Treatment was given at outpatient clinics across three locations.
Compared with sham needling, true acupuncture was significantly more effective at reducing migraines at all time points. Sham treatment did not differ significantly from waiting list control. At 16 weeks after the start of the trial, mean monthly migraine frequencies had decreased by 3.2 in the acupuncture group, 2.1 in the sham group and 1.4 in the waiting list group.
(The Long-term Effect of Acupuncture for Migraine Prophylaxis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, April 2017.)