A randomised controlled trial looking at acupuncture for migraine prevention enrolled 114 patients to compare acupuncture with metoprolol (a beta-blocker). Treatment was given over twelve weeks, and 8 to 15 acupuncture treatments were delivered per patient. Both groups experienced a similar fall in the number of days with migraine, but there were fewer side effects with acupuncture.
The researchers concluded that acupuncture might be an effective and safe treatment option for patients unwilling or unable to take medication.
(Effectiveness and Tolerability of Acupuncture Compared with Metoprolol in Migraine Prophylaxis. Headache Journal, 2 October 2006.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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