Alternative Therapy Blog

7 Scientific Reasons Why Acupuncture Is Good For Migraines

Certainly true for migraines:  The more challenging a medical problem is to treat, the greater number of treatment strategies emerge. Patients suffering from migraines and physicians treating them are on a constant lookout for alternative therapies that help reduce the throbbing headaches, identify the triggers and improve quality of life.

Long before the pharmaceutical treatments of today existed, traditional Chinese medicine sought Migraine relief through acupuncture. 

Acupuncture is the practice of inserting fine needles into an individual’s skin at specific body points that are considered to be ‘lines of energy.’ If you or someone you love suffers from exhausting migraines then the 2000-year old treatment can be your safest bet to treat migraines.

Acupuncture, as determined by large-scale clinical studies, is an effective pain reliever.

The use of acupuncture for migraines in western countries has grown and is commonly used to relieve or prevents migraine attacks.  One theory of why acupuncture works; pain relief is achieved after a slew of positive neurotransmitters are released. This flood of feel-good brain chemicals could, over time, change the way the brain processes pain.

Acupuncture for Migraine is low-risk but a trained and licensed practitioner is required.

As with any medical treatment, it is important to work with a trained and licensed practitioner.  The common side effects of acupuncture:  numbness, tingling, and a heavy sensation can be effectively managed and reduced, only if the practitioner administering it is trained.  Any minor side effects such as dizziness or bruising around needle points are mild and self-correcting.

7 scientific reasons why acupuncture is good for a migraine:

1. Provides pain relief - Acupuncture leads to release of endorphins and other neurohumoral factors and changes the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord.
2. It reduces inflammation - Acupuncture promotes the release of vascular and immunomodulatory factors that can counter inflammation.
3. It reduces the degree of cortical spreading depression, the electrical wave in the brain associated with a migraine.
4. It reduces plasma levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide; a biomarker of migraines.
5. It modulates blood flow to the cranium.
6. It affects serotonin levels in the brain that may be linked both to the initiation of migraines and to the relief of acute attacks.
7. It increases local microcirculation aiding the dispersal of swelling. 

Acupuncture from a qualified practitioner has proven to be a successful alternative therapy for migraine. Have you tried acupuncture for migraine?