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Acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial.

Ying Li¹, Hui Zheng, Claudia M Witt

¹Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal De L'Association Medicale Canadienne

|January 11, 2012

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Acupuncture showed a clinically minor effect on migraine prevention compared to sham acupuncture. While some acupuncture groups reduced migraine days, the benefits were not clinically significant for most outcomes.

Area of Science:

Neurology
Integrative Medicine

Background:

Acupuncture is a common treatment for migraine.
The study compared specific and non-specific acupuncture points against sham acupuncture.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the efficacy of acupuncture at migraine-specific points versus other points and sham acupuncture for migraine treatment.

Main Methods:

A multicentre, single-blind randomized controlled trial involving 480 migraine patients.
Patients were randomized into four groups: Shaoyang-specific acupuncture, Shaoyang-nonspecific acupuncture, Yangming-specific acupuncture, or sham acupuncture (control).
All groups received 20 treatments with electrical stimulation over four weeks, with primary outcome measured as migraine days during weeks 5-8 post-randomization.

Main Results:

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Acupuncture groups showed fewer migraine days during weeks 5-8, but differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05).
Significant reductions in migraine days were observed during weeks 13-16 in all acupuncture groups compared to control (p < 0.011).
Secondary outcomes showed statistically significant but not clinically relevant benefits for acupuncture groups over control, with no significant differences among acupuncture types.

Conclusions:

Acupuncture demonstrated a clinically minor effect on migraine prophylaxis compared to sham acupuncture.
The study suggests limited clinical relevance of acupuncture for migraine prevention despite statistical significance in some measures.