Acupuncture for Migraine: A Systematic Review
Item
Title
Acupuncture for Migraine: A Systematic Review
Author(s)
Date
2006
volume
1(1)
Research Type
Systematic Review
Keywords
Abstract
Background: Migraine is a highly prevalent and often severely disabling disorder. Migraine patients often employ therapies such as acupuncture. To date a systematic review of acupuncture for migraine headache alone has not been published. Given that migraine has a pathophysiology that is distinct from other headaches, it is appropriate and timely that the studies of acupuncture for the treatment of migraine be systematically reviewed. Objectives: To determine whether acupuncture is more effective than no treatment for migraine, more effective than 'sham' or placebo acupuncture for migraine, or as effective as other interventions used to treat and prevent migraine. Selection criteria: Randomised controlled trials of needle acupuncture that breaks the skin for migraine headache. Data collection: The authors used a standardised collection form to abstract data independently. Information on acupuncture protocol, STRICTA criteria, methodological quality (Jadad, IVS) and treatment outcomes were collected. Results: Twenty-five studies with a total of 3004 patients (median = 62; range = 30-794) met the inclusion criteria. Three trials compared acupuncture to waiting list. Eleven trials compared acupuncture to sham acupuncture studies. The results were heterogeneous. Five studies found no significant effects over the sham procedure. Four studies reported a trend in favour of acupuncture. The remaining two small studies reported results in which the acupuncture group did significantly better than those in the sham group. Thirteen studies compared acupuncture to various pharmacotherapies and all found acupuncture to be at least as effective as drug treatment. Conclusion: The current evidence suggests that acupuncture is significantly superior to waiting list, at least as good as sham acupuncture, and of comparable efficiency to several proven drug therapies for the treatment and prevention of migraine.
Number of Participants
25 RCTs
has health condition studied
Headache Disorders
has study population number
3004
has duration
N/A