Abstract
Migraine is a debilitating condition that places a substantial economic burden on society and seriously affects patients' quality of life. Currently, there is no known "cure" for migraines, and pharmacologic treatments or prophylaxis carry many unwanted effects. Acupuncture has been accepted as an alternative treatment. However, its effectiveness is still debated. This is a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCT) that investigate acupuncture safety and efficacy in migraine versus various control groups. We searched PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Cochrane library using keywords: migraines, migraine with aura, migraine without aura, headache, acupuncture, and needling therapy. Two independent reviewers participated in data extraction and assessment. Fifteen randomized controlled trials involving 2,056 participants that met the inclusion criteria were obtained and analyzed. Based on the findings, seven out of 10 trials that compared acupuncture with sham acupuncture showed a more significant reduction in the frequency of migraine attacks and headache intensity. Four studies revealed acupuncture is just as effective and has fewer side effects than any western medicine. Acupuncture can be recommended as an alternative or adjunct to drug treatment for patients suffering migraines. However, further clinical trials that utilized the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) recommendation are still needed to strongly present an evidence-based strategy.
Highlights
BackgroundMigraine is a common neurological disorder characterized by severe, recurrent, unilateral, and throbbing headaches, often accompanied by neurological and systemic symptoms [1]
The primary purpose of this study was to provide a systematic review on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for migraine compared to various control groups
Out of 21,678 articles, 7,752 were from PubMed, 3,523 from Science Direct, 10,400 from Google Scholar, and three from Cochrane Library; 547 articles remained after applying the criteria above
Summary
Migraine is a common neurological disorder characterized by severe, recurrent, unilateral, and throbbing headaches, often accompanied by neurological and systemic symptoms [1]. Migraine without aura is a clinical syndrome characterized by recurrent headaches with attacks lasting 4-72 hours, often associated with nausea, photophobia, or phonophobia. MWA is a recurrent attack lasting minutes and characterized by transient neurological symptoms (visual, sensory, motor, retinal, and speech or language) that usually precede or sometimes accompany the headache. Migraines can be differentiated as chronic and episodic These are part of the spectrum of disorders, but they are distinct clinical entities. International Headache Society (IHS) currently defines chronic migraine as a headache for at least 15 days per month, with migraine feature on eight of those days Those with migraines who have 014 headache days per month characterize episodic migraines. The accurate diagnosis is based upon the clinical presentation and ruling-out other headache disorders [7,8]
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