Health news - Acupuncture may cut rates of tension headaches
05 August 2005 - written by Michael Paterson for Bupa's health information team
The effectiveness of acupuncture is controversial, but it may be an effective treatment for tension headaches, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal last month.1
What did the report show?
People who suffered from regular tension headaches saw their headache rates drop by almost half when they were given traditional acupuncture1.
Researchers also found that a minimal acupuncture course, where needles are inserted in the top layer of skin at non-acupuncture points, worked almost as well. Patients who had neither treatment only had a small reduction in the frequency of their headaches.
How was the study carried out?
Researchers in Germany divided 270 people suffering from tension headaches into three groups.1 One group was given traditional Chinese acupuncture for eight weeks. Another was given minimal acupuncture. The third group had no acupuncture treatment at all.
What were the findings?
All patients who took part in the study had tension headaches on at least eight days of the month in the three months leading up to the study. The patients receiving traditional acupuncture had seven fewer days of headaches over the four weeks after the treatment. Those receiving minimal acupuncture had 6.6 fewer days of headaches. The control group had 1.5 fewer days of headaches.1
Were the benefits of acupuncture long term?
Improvements to headache rates continued for months after the acupuncture treatment, although the beneficial effect did start to wear off eventually.1
Were there any side-effects?
Of the 195 people who had acupuncture treatment, 37 reported some side-effects. Symptoms included dizziness and slight bruising.1
What did the researchers conclude?
Because traditional acupuncture achieved almost the same results as minimal acupuncture, it seems that the location of acupuncture points is not that important. This suggests that acupuncture may relieve tension headaches because patients expect an improvement - what researchers call a placebo effect. The researchers concluded that acupuncture may be just as effective a treatment for tension headaches as many other accepted treatments.1
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is an alternative therapy based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine.2 According to practitioners it channels energy that flows around the 12 main organs in the body - including the heart, liver, lungs, kidney and stomach. Acupuncture needles are put in the body at key points. Ancient teaching says that the needles unblock or alter energy flow.
What do medical experts think about acupuncture?
Doctors are divided in opinion about how it works. Some believe it works as a relaxation technique or because it has a placebo effect. In other words, patients feel better simply because they expect an improvement in their health. Others believe that the 'needle cure' alters the way that people register pain in the brain.3
What are the symptoms of tension headaches?
Tension headaches are uncomfortable but they usually last for only a short time.4 Common symptoms of a tension headache include:
- a general pain which is not limited to one area of the head
- a tight feeling around the head or neck or across the eyes
What causes tension headaches?
Many happen for no obvious reason.5 Other causes can be5:
- being tense, anxious or stressed
- tense muscles in the scalp and neck, eg from sitting poorly at a desk or from squinting while reading
- food
- caffeine
- bright sunlight
- illness
- depression
- extreme cold or extreme heat
- tiredness
- noise
- smoking - this may make tension headaches worse
Who is affected?
Almost three-quarters of us have at least one tension headache a year. They occur more frequently or become more severe during times of emotional stress. More than one in five people has at least one tension headache every month. Three people in 100 have one every other day.5
What other treatments are available for tension headaches?
Over-the-counter pain medications, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, are recommended to relieve minor pain from tension headache. Light massage, or the application of a heat pack to tight neck muscles, may also help to relieve the problem.5
How can tension headaches be prevented?
There are various ways to reduce the risk of tension headaches.5
- Identification of the causes: Keep a diary and take notes on when and where each headache occurs - and how long it lasts. This might point to a cause, such as hunger, eye strain, bad posture, stress, anger, or what you ate or drank in the hours before.
- Breathing exercises: Stress is a common cause. Breathing and relaxation exercises could ease anxiety in difficult situations and prevent a possible headache. Books and tapes can teach you how to relax.
- Regular exercise: People who exercise regularly get fewer headaches than those who rarely take exercise. This could be because exercise helps to ease stress and tension, which can make headaches more likely. Brisk walking, jogging, cycling or swimming are good ways to keep fit and could keep headaches at bay.
- Medication: Depression can cause frequent headaches. A doctor can prescribe medication to prevent or reduce the frequency of headaches.
Bupa information
Further information
- Migraine Action Association
01536 461333
www.migraine.org.uk - Organisation For The Understanding Of Cluster Headaches In The UK
0161 272 1702
www.clusterheadaches.org.uk
References
- Melchart D, Streng A, Hoppe A et al. Acupuncture in patients with tension-type headache: randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2005; published online.
www.bmjjournals.com - Acupuncture - Introduction. NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopaedia.
www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk - Pariente J, White P, Frackowiak RSJ et al. Neuroimage 2005; 25: 1161-1167.
- Your Health - Headaches and eye strain. NHS Plus.
www.nhsplus.nhs.uk - Tension-type headache. Patient UK.
www.patient.co.uk
All pages were accessed on 03 August 2005
