This is one of a series of short articles in which I outline for you, how acupuncture approaches a particular condition. Where I refer here to headaches, references should be taken to include migraines.

Headaches in my experience are generally very responsive to acupuncture, and I always find them interesting complaints to treat. I begin by finding out from you all about the nature of your headaches: often they will have been going on for quite a while, and you’ll be readily able to answer questions about their characteristics. You may or may not have a diagnosis from your doctor, but one of my jobs is to formulate a Chinese medical diagnosis: to facilitate this, I will ask you about such things as the location of the pain (eg forehead, temples, back), the nature of the pain (eg dull, heavy, throbbing), any accompanying symptoms (eg nausea, visual disturbance), any trigger factors (eg stress, weather, tiredness, tight shoulders), and timing (eg time of day, weekdays, weekends, premenstrually). I will also ask about any medication you have tried and about any other treatment to date. As usual, we will go on to cover your health and wellbeing in a wider sense, to see whether there is anything else which I might connect with your headaches.

I will usually offer treatment weekly for a set period, or two to three times per week initially if your headaches are particularly severe and frequent. I might ask you to keep a simple headache diary so that as the weeks go by, we can measure your progress, and there will usually be some lifestyle recommendations to help you aswell.

Elsewhere on this website, you will find more information on what to expect from a consultation in general, but I hope the above has been helpful with regard to treatment for this specific condition. Below, you can also read about some of the scientific research which has been performed on acupuncture for headaches.

A pilot study carried out on American soldiers, has shown acupuncture to be beneficial for chronic headaches. Twenty-six participants suffering from chronic headache (mostly migraine), were treated using a standardised set of acupuncture points over a twelve week period.

The results showed a reduction in headache frequency and intensity, and this benefit was still apparent over a twelve week follow-up. There were also improvements in general quality of life scores, and reductions in depression and use of medication. Pain scores continued to decline until eight weeks after acupuncture treatment ended, and although they began to rise again by twelve weeks, they never reached baseline levels. The report authors contrast this with medication trials, where headaches return after cessation of treatment; they go on to suggest that monthly maintenance acupuncture treatments might help prevent this rise.

(The Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Chronic Daily Headache: An Outcomes Study. Military Medicine Dec 2009.)

In an update to a review originally published in 2001, eleven trials conducted across a total of 2317 patients, were examined to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for tension headaches.

Two large trials found significant benefits associated with acupuncture as an adjunct to basic care (treatment of acute headache with painkillers): the number of headache days was reduced by at least half in 47% of patients receiving acupuncture plus basic care, compared to only 16% of the group receiving basic care alone. The authors conclude the evidence suggests acupuncture is a valuable option for patients suffering from frequent tension headaches.

(Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews 2009 Jan 21.)

A systematic review by American authors, of 31 separate studies, has found that the majority of trials comparing real with sham acupuncture as a control, suggest true acupuncture is significantly more effective, measured at both early and late follow-up. The combined data showed acupuncture to be superior to medication for headache intensity, frequency, physical function and overall treatment response rate.

(Acupuncture for the Management of Chronic Headache: A Systematic Review. Anesth & Analgesia Journal 2008 Dec).

A very large German study has concluded that acupuncture in addition to routine medical care for patients with primary headache (headaches not caused by any other known medical condition), is associated with significant clinical improvements over routine care alone. Of 15 056 headache patients, 1613 were randomly allocated to receive acupuncture plus their usual medical care, 1569 received only their usual care, and 11 874 who did not wish to be randomised, were also given acupuncture plus usual care.

After three months and fifteen acupuncture treatments, the number of days with headache decreased from 8.4 to 4.7 in the acupuncture group, and 8.1 to 7.5 in the control group. Intensity of pain and quality of life improvements were also more pronounced in the acupuncture group, and treatment success was maintained at six month follow-up.

(Cephalalagia Journal 2 July 2008, Epub ahead of print)