Acupuncture Found to Be Better Than Drugs for Headache Relief

If you are one of the approximately 45 million people in the United States that suffers from a chronic headache condition, there is some very good news that may help eliminate the need to take medication. Researchers at Duke University Medical School have shown that Acupuncture is more effective than drugs in reducing both the severity and the frequency of chronic headache conditions.

“Acupuncture is becoming a favorable option for a variety of purposes ranging from enhancing fertility to decreasing post-operative pain because people experience significantly fewer side effects, and it can be less expensive than other options,” said Dr. Tong Joo Gan, a Duke anesthesiologist who lead the study. “This analysis reinforces that Acupuncture also is a successful source of relief from chronic headaches.”

It’s interesting to note that the U.S. National Institute of Health began recommending Acupuncture as a viable treatment to help people with a chronic headache condition over 10 years ago.

Duke researchers looked into more than 30 studies involving over 4,000 patients who suffered migraine headaches, tension headaches and additional headaches with multiple symptoms. All of the studies they looked at were conducted over a period of time that lasted for more than 4 weeks.

One of the main findings of the study had to do with the comparison of Acupuncture to the effectiveness of drugs. In the 17 different studies comparing Acupuncture to medication, Acupuncture provided relief to 62 percent of the patients while only 45 percent found headache relief with drugs.

With Acupuncture known to provide this type of relief, often in a matter of 5 or 6 treatments that last only about 30 minutes, it seems clear that headache sufferers should put aside their medications and seek the relief offered through his age-old treatment. “One of the barriers to treatment with Acupuncture is getting people to understand that while needles are used, it is not a painful experience,” said Dr. Gan. “It is a method for releasing your body’s own natural painkillers.”

According to researchers, over 20 million American women are among the 45 million people that suffer chronic headaches. Based on the experiences of the majority who were involved in these studies, it would be wise for drug users to consider putting away their medications. Many people could find long-term relief with only a few visits to an acupuncturist.