Research on acupuncture treatment of episodic migraine without aura by Chinese scholars

Xian-Bin Kong

1Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Laboratory,Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine,Tianjin 301617,China.

Migraine is a common chronic neurological disorder with a global disease burden second only to stroke among neurological disorders[1,2].Although some authors have suggested that prophylactic drugs should be recommended for migraine patients who have at least four headache days per month,only 13%of patients reported current use of preventive drugs[3].Ineffectiveness of and/or contraindications to migraine medication affect 10%-15%of people with migraine[3].Hence,a need exists to investigate non-drug interventions.Acupuncture has emerged as a prophylactic treatment for migraine because of its potential efficacy[3,4].Manual acupuncture is commonly used by traditional acupuncturists and is highly effective for pain relief[3,5].Besides insertion of penetrating needles into specific acupuncture points,manual manipulation(that is,intermittent rotation as well as lift and thrust)of the needle may enhance its clinical benefit[3,5].However,clinical evidence for the benefit of manual acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis remains scarce.

The team of Professor Wang Wei from Huazhong University of Science and Technology has completed relevant research on the above issues and published relevant results inBMJ-BritishMedicalJournal[3,6].Clinical trials comparing manual acupuncture with sham acupuncture(placebo-only,not acupoint targeting,and not penetrating)or usual care showed that acupuncture was effective the prophylaxis of episodic migraine without aura compared to sham acupuncture and usual care[3].These results support the use of manual acupuncture in patients who are reluctant to use prophylactic drugs or when prophylactic drugs are ineffective,and it should be considered in future guidelines[3,6].