Acupuncture and headaches

Written By Alice Douglas

Pain anywhere in the body can be so debilitating and NICE guidelines now suggest the use of acupuncture for chronic pain. [1] In this blog post, we are going to take a deep dive into pain specific to the head, exploring research and Chinese Medicine.

The research

Acupuncture has been recognised in scientific literature as being beneficial for pain management generally. In 2012 a quite robust meta-analysis (examination of data from a number of independent studies of the same subject, in order to determine overall trends) about chronic pain concluded ‘Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain and is therefore a reasonable referral option’. [2] The pain conditions in the analysis included chronic headaches. This meta-analysis was re-reviewed in 2018 and confirmed that acupuncture has a clinically relevant, persistent effect on chronic pain. [3]

So acupuncture is good for pain but what about headaches specifically? One of the common side effects of a lumbar puncture or spinal anaesthesia is a post-dural-puncture headache (PDPH). It is a severe headache occurring 2 to 3 days after the procedure producing a pain "searing and spreading like hot metal". In a study in 2013 using acupuncture all patients reported more than 50% reduction in PDPH intensity immediately after the acupuncture treatment. In all cases, the analgesics (pain killers) were stopped or their dose was decreased in the hours following acupuncture treatment. None of the patients required treatment with a blood patch which is a much more invasive treatment for PDPH. After acupuncture, the patients returned to normal daily activities and were discharged home without further delay. [4]

It is apparently estimated that in the UK we lose 43 million days of work to migraines Also 60% of people suffering from migraines felt that these dastardly headaches had impacted on their relationship with their partner and 71% of them felt it affected their mental health. [5] A Cochrane review for patient with tension headaches found acupuncture reduced migraine frequency; patients had at least a 50% reduction in headache frequency. [6] There is even a study comparing types of acupuncture for treatment of migraine, where no difference was reported between the types, and both created a recovery from the headache and ability to continue daily activities 2 hours after treatment. [7]

There are a large range of drugs used for the treatment of headaches of which some have detrimental long term side effects. In 2019 Kelly et al concluded the cost-effectiveness of acupuncture for chronic headache is favourable in the United Kingdom and overall, the evidence supports acupuncture as a treatment option. [8]

Chinese Medicine

As with most symptoms in Chinese Medicine, there is a range of potential diagnoses for headaches. In treatment for headaches, your acupuncturist will need to take a deep dive into the type of headache. It will need to be understood whether your headaches are coming from a deficiency, and therefore the body needs to be nourished in order to help the pain, or it is coming from an excess, in which case moving or reducing in the body will be necessary. For a closer look at Chinese Medicine theory, have a read of this blog post.

You will be asked about:

  • Triggers (screen-time, menstrual cycle etc)

  • Patterns of onset and progression

  • Accompanying symptoms (nausea, aura, fatigue etc.)

  • Placement on the head (temples, forehead, whole head etc)

  • Nature of the pain (dull, sharp, pressure etc)

  • Ways to help the pain (rest, water, movement etc)

All of this information will allow for a diagnosis within Chinese Medicine. A treatment plan and points prescription will then be made.

Headaches are something frequently seen in clinic at A D Acupuncture and the results can be fantastic. Results can often be seen after just one appointment, which accumulate over the following 4-6 sessions leading to significant change.

So if you do suffer from a pain in the head get in contact with your acupuncturist to explore the potential of long term, drug free results.

1.       NICE guideline [NG193] 07 April 2021. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng193/chapter/Recommendations

2.       Acupuncture for chronic pain: individual patient data meta-analysis. Vickers A et al. Arch Intern Med 2012 Oct 22;172(19):1444-53.doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3654

3.       Acupuncture for chronic pain update of an individual patient data meta-analysis. Vickers A et al. J Pain 2018 May;19(5):455-474.  doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005

4.       Acupuncture for treatment of therapy-resistant post-dural puncture headache: a retrospective case series. Dietzel  J et al. British Journal of Anaesthesia. Volume 111, ISSUE 5, P847-849, NOVEMBER 01, 2013

5.       https://migrainetrust.org/understand-migraine/impact-of-migraine/

6.      Acupuncture for the prevention of episodic migraine (Review) Linde K et al. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD001218. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001218.pub3.

7.        Efficacy of Yamamoto New Scalp Acupuncture Versus Traditional Chinese Acupuncture for Migraine Treatment. Rezvani M et al. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Vol. 20, No. 5 2014

8.       Acupuncture for Pain. Kelly R.B and Willis J. American Family Physician www.aafp.org/afp Volume 100, Number 2  July 15, 2019

Alice Douglas
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