Abstract
Background Migraine is a common reason for primary headache disorders. Cupping is a frequently used traditional intervention for controlling pain including migraine. There have been no systematic reviews on the clinical effects of cupping on migraine. Objective This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cupping therapy for migraine. The search strategy was built for the presence of related keywords, such as “migraine” and “cupping therapy”, in the title and abstract of research articles indexed in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and other databases. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cupping therapy for migraine were searched and selected from inception to May 2019. We searched eight databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The selection process and the quality assessment were performed by 2 authors independently. The meta-analysis was conducted and qualitative analysis was also performed. Results 218 studies were identified, and 6 RCTs were enrolled in this review. In comparison to drugs, wet cupping showed a higher total effective rate (TER). In the dry cupping plus acupuncture, the result of TER showed more effectiveness (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.12, P=0.13) compared with acupuncture alone, but there was no statistically significant difference. In qualitative analysis, the results showed wet cupping plus drugs treatment could quickly relieve pain and significantly improve patients' quality of life and wet cupping could reduce headache pain. Conclusion Cupping therapy could be effective for the treatment of migraine. However, the qualities of the evidence were low, so well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm the effectiveness of cupping. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration number is CRD42017054979.
Highlights
Migraine, a common primary headache, is characterized by attacks of pulsating moderate-to-severe headaches that can be associated with nausea and/or photophobia or phonophobia [1]
We developed the protocol of this study ourselves. e protocol is registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) and was published in 2017
We divided the studies into three groups: (1) wet cupping versus drugs (3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs)) [22, 23, 27]; (2) dry cupping accompanied with acupuncture versus without acupuncture (2 RCTs) [24, 25]; and (3) wet cupping accompanied with drugs versus drugs (1 RCT) [26]
Summary
A common primary headache, is characterized by attacks of pulsating moderate-to-severe headaches that can be associated with nausea and/or photophobia or phonophobia [1]. Pharmacologic treatment guidelines for migraine headaches have been developed and updated, there are limitations in drug therapy such as side effects and overuse [4,5,6]. Ere have been no systematic reviews on the clinical effects of cupping on migraine. Is systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of cupping therapy for migraine. E randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of cupping therapy for migraine were searched and selected from inception to May 2019. The results showed wet cupping plus drugs treatment could quickly relieve pain and significantly improve patients’ quality of life and wet cupping could reduce headache pain. Cupping therapy could be effective for the treatment of migraine. The qualities of the evidence were low, so well-designed RCTs are needed to confirm the effectiveness of cupping.
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