28/05/2021
Acupuncture is as Good as Botox and Drugs for Migraine.(1)
Migranes impact a significant proportion of our population. It is estimated that there are approximately 600,000 to 700,000 people in the Republic of Ireland with this condition. Migraine is the most common headache disorder seen by doctors. The incidence is far higher in women than men.
It's treated (preventative and acute) using medications and lifestyle modification recommendations, botox injections and in some cases nerve blocks. One of the medications prescribed specifically for migrane is topiramate. The study referring to acupuncture that I include today is a comparison of Acupuncture with Topiramate or Botox.
The problem for many people, is the medications often come with very unpleasant side effects. This is the case for Topiramate. Side effects can lead to many people with their doctor deciding to stop the treatment. Acupuncture as a stand alone treatment was found to be effective with a statistically significant reduction in episodes. If you are a person that is living with migraines and you haven't tried acupuncture as a preventative choice, it is undoubtedly an option for you. A session of acupuncture is also very effective for many of the accompanying symptoms that often accompany migrane. It significantly reduces stress, it improves sleep quality and it balances hormones. These are all potential triggers of migraine attacks.
Another finding was that taking the medication with Acupuncture reduced the side effects of the medication and for some this solution gives them optimal relief and an ability to manage their lives without the stress caused by a debilitating chronic condition.
What is Migraine and what is the global incidence...
"Migraine is an inherited tendency to have headaches with sensory disturbance. It’s an instability in the way the brain deals with incoming sensory information, and that instability can become influenced by physiological changes like sleep, exercise and hunger." (2) Sensory just refers to any of your senses, sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. Of course the physiological changes mentioned are not an exhaustive list. Like many diagnosed conditions, the cause is often unknown or at least not fully understood.
Migraine is a complex neurological condition which is classified by the World Health Organisation as the 7th most disabling disease worldwide, the 4th for women. (3) This impacts and in many cases prevents a person living a 'normal' life. It stops people carrying out everyday tasks and impacts peoples ability to work, to attend school or college and often social interaction is impossible. There are implications for peoples' earning potential and mental emotional health.
Migraine may mean the person has a headache and some accompanying symptoms, but the implications of having 'only' a headache are hugely impactful and disabling for the person experiencing them.
Writen by Sinead Dee
On the Pulse Clinics
To find an acupuncturist local to you please visit the Acupuncture of Ireland Website.
References
1. Zheng, H., Huang, S.-L., Chen, Y.-Y., Tang, T.-C., Qin, D. and Chen, M. (2021), Topiramate, acupuncture, and BoNT-A for chronic migraine: a network meta-analysis. Acta Neurol Scand, 143: 558-568.
2. Professor Peter Goadsby, Professor of Neurology, King’s College London; Director, NIHR-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, King’s College Hospital London; Trustee of The Migraine Trust.
3. Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Vos et al. The Lancet, Volume 386, Issue 9995, Pages 743 – 800, 22 August 2015
For the purposes of a page I'm using a simple easy to follow numbering as opposed to a Harvard Referencing System.
