CNN Article on Acunpucture for Headaches

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Study: Acupuncture eases chronic headaches

Monday, March 15, 2004 Posted: 11:06 AM EST (1606 GMT)

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Acupuncture is a useful, cost-effective

treatment for patients who suffer from chronic headaches or

migraine, researchers said on Monday.

In one of the largest randomized studies to assess the effectiveness

of the ancient Chinese treatment, scientists found it worked better

than just conventional treatments alone.

" People using acupuncture had fewer headaches, less severe headaches

and they used less health resources over the course of the following

year, " Dr. Vickers, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

in New York, said in an interview.

The scientists compared acupuncture plus standard treatment to

normal therapy alone in 401 patients in England and Wales who

suffered from headaches several days each week. Their research is

published online by the British Medical Journal.

Patients who had been assigned acupuncture plus standard treatment

received up to 12 treatments over three months.

Initially there was not much difference between the two groups but

at the end of the year-long trial the scientist noticed a big change.

Patients receiving acupuncture had 22 fewer days of headaches per

year, used 15 percent less medication, made 25 percent fewer visits

to their family doctors and took fewer days off sick than the other

group.

There were not many side effects and Vickers and his colleagues also

found that the treatment was cost effective.

" For severely affected patients, acupuncture reduced the severity

and the frequency of their headaches to make a real difference in

their lives, " Vickers said.

Acupuncture was first used in China about 2,000 years ago, according

to Vickers. It involves inserting very fine needles into the skin at

specific points in the body. It is one of the most popular forms of

alternative medicine and has been shown to relieve nausea and pain.

German researchers have also said it could help women undergoing

fertility treatment to conceive.