<p>Acupuncture versus Various Control Treatments in the Treatment of Migraine: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials from the Past 10 Years</p>

Abstract

Background: Migraine is defined as a recurrent headache of moderate to severe intensity that seriously affects the quality of life. Recent clinical trials have confirmed that acupuncture is effective in treating migraine. We aimed to review the effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of migraine by comparing treatment and various control groups in accordance with the newly published guidelines for systematic reviews. Materials and Methods: The following databases were searched for relevant articles published from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019: Embase, PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, and four Chinese databases. The present review included randomized controlled trials in which acupuncture was the sole treatment or an adjunctive treatment for migraine. Two researchers independently conducted the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment processes. Disagreements between reviewers were solved by discussion and data reanalysis. The quality of each included study was evaluated using the Cochrane Collaboration risk-of-bias assessment method and the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) checklist. Results: Forty-nine studies were analyzed and ranked based on the latest STRICTA and Cochrane Collaboration risk-of-bias assessment standards. The analysis revealed that acupuncture reduced headache frequency compared with no treatment (mean difference [MD] = −1.80, P < 0.00001, 95% confidence interval [CI] −2.34 to −1.26) and western medicine (MD = −1.75, P = 0.003, 95% CI −2.91 to −0.58). Headache frequency did not significantly differ between patients who received real acupuncture versus those who received sham acupuncture (MD = −0.64, P = 0.24, 95% CI −1.70 to 0.42). Conclusion: The present review evaluated the current research on the use of acupuncture for migraine, compared with various control treatments. The evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture in controlling migraine is still limited due to the low quality of the published studies.

Acupuncture Therapy as an Evidence-Based Nonpharmacologic Strategy for Comprehensive Acute Pain Care: The Academic Consortium Pain Task Force White Paper Update

“…Where migraine and headache carry a significant global economic burden [ 100 ], real-world data from a 10-year national cohort study in Taiwan showed that in patients with migraine who received acupuncture treatment, medical expenditures on emergency care and hospitalization were significantly lower than those of the group without acupuncture treatment [ 80 ]. A review of 10 years of RCTs of acupuncture vs various controls in the treatment of migraine (49 trials) found that acupuncture reduces symptoms of migraine and improves quality of life [ 101 ]. The meta-analysis showed that acupuncture reduces headache frequency more than no treatment or medications, but the quality of evidence was low.…”

Effective Oriental Magic for Analgesia: Acupuncture

“…Nevertheless, the frequency of acupuncture seems challenging to quantify. Although the analgesic effect of the acupuncture group was superior to the control groups, it cannot be neglected that on the management of some pain (pain in labor, migraine, and neuropathic pain), low-quality evidence suggests that acupuncture does not differ much from usual care [41][42][43]. Since a large number of the current RCTs provide conflicting and inconclusive evidence, the methodological shortcomings of RCTs are recurrent [43,44].…”

Alternative and complementary treatments for migraine

“…Хотя данные специальных исследований влияния различных методов физической активности лимитированы ограниченным количеством работ и отсутствием адекватного контроля, тем не менее в отношении аэробных упражнений можно сделать несколько практических выводов [48] И г л о р е ф л е к с о т е р а п и я В качестве важного компонента КАМ рефлексотерапия приобрела популярность как метод паллиативного вмешательства [55]. Клинические исследования показали, что ИРТ может уменьшать интенсивность боли, ее продолжительность, влиять на эмоциональную сопутствующую патологию и количество препаратов, принимаемых для купирования болевых эпизодов.…”

“…С развитием биомедицинских и нейровизуализационных методов все большее внимание привлекают нейрогенные механизмы ИРТ при мигрени. Нейровизуализационные исследования показали, что ИРТ может изменить аномальную функциональную активность системы модуляции нисходящей боли, таламуса, лобно-теменной, затылочновисочной областей и мозжечка, уменьшать нейровоспаление, регулировать периферическую и центральную сенситизацию [55].…”