Acupuncture for Migraines
Are you having trouble controlling your migraines? Whether you're looking for a natural remedy or medications don't completely dull the pain, acupuncture can help. The ancient medical practice offers scientifically proven results that could improve migraine pain and reduce headache frequency.
Could Acupuncture Help You?
Migraines often strike without warning, causing intense, throbbing pain that lasts hours or days. Unfortunately, pain isn't the only symptom, migraines can also cause:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Sensitivity to Light, Sound, Smell and/or Touch
Some people who have the condition also experience auras before the pain starts or during the migraine. Auras affect about 20% of people with migraines, according to the Mayo Clinic, and may cause vision issues or sensory, verbal, or motor disturbances. If you experience auras, you may notice flashing or jagged lines, or temporary vision loss. Difficulty speaking or moving your limbs normally may also occur.
Although medication can ease migraine symptoms, it's not always effective. In fact, more than 34% of migraine patients who participated in a research study published in Headache were classified as insufficient responders. Insufficient responders is a term doctors use to describe people who aren't free from pain within two hours of taking medication for migraines.
Luckily, acupuncture can help ease pain and other migraine symptoms. Acupuncture treatment reduces migraine symptoms by:
- Relieving Pain. Acupuncture treatments prompt your body to release hormones that act as natural painkillers. Treatments may also have a positive effect on the centers in the brain that control pain. According to a research study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience on August 6, 2021 acupuncture restored the pain processing function and regulated the perception of pain in patients who had migraines without auras.
- Increasing Blood Flow. Blood vessels may become narrower or wider during a migraine. If the blood vessels narrow, the flow of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the brain decreases. Acupuncture increases blood flow, which may help ease pain.
- Easing Muscle Tension. Muscles in your head, neck, and shoulders tighten in response to pain. Unfortunately, muscle tension only increases your migraine pain and can cause tension headaches. Acupuncture treatments loosen tight tissues, helping you feel more comfortable.
- Controlling Nausea. Acupuncture offers an effective way to control nausea and is often used to manage nausea caused by pregnancy, motion sickness, and chemotherapy, in addition to migraines. Doctors believe acupuncture treatments soothe the brain's vomiting center. Treatments may also help regulate stomach rhythms and reduce the amount of acid the stomach produces.
- Reducing the Frequency of Migraines. Acupuncture could also decrease the number of migraines you get every month. In another study published in Frontiers in Neurology on January 14, 2021, acupuncture reduced headache days by half in 34% of migraine patients who received the treatment.
- Decreasing the Amount of Medication You Need. When you control your pain naturally with acupuncture, you may need less prescription medicine or might be able to control your pain without medication. Treatments also help you avoid common medication side effects, like dizziness, nausea, and fatigue.
Ready to treat your migraine symptoms with acupuncture? Get in touch with us to schedule an appointment with the acupuncturist.
Sources:
Mayo Clinic: Migraine Aura, 3/3/2021
Frontiers in Neurology: Acupuncture Modulation Effect on Pain Processing Pathways in Patients Without Aura, 8/25/2021
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2021.729218/full
Headache: A Real‐World Analysis of Patient Characteristics, Treatment Patterns, and Level of Impairment in Patients With Migraine Who are Insufficient Responders vs Responders to Acute Treatment, 6/8/2020
https://headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/head.13835
Frontiers in Neurology: A Randomized Clinical Trial on Acupuncture Versus Best Medical Therapy in Episodic Migraine Prophylaxis: The ACUMIGRAN Study, 1/14/2021
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.570335/full
JAMA Internal Medicine: The Long-Term Effect of Acupuncture for Migraine Prophylaxis: A Randomized Clinical Trial, 4/2017
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2603492
American Headache Society: Comparing the Effectiveness of Acupuncture Treatment Versus Standard Medications Used for Prevention of Migraine
https://americanheadachesociety.org/news/acupuncture-migraine-treatment/
American Family Physician: Acupuncture for Migraine Prevention, 7/1/2017