|
Acupuncture Treatment For Migraine |
|
|
|
|
Written by Dawn C.
|
|
Wednesday, 16 August 2006 |
For most individuals in the west, the entire concept of voluntarily sticking needles into your body is a bit suspect. In fact, most people probably need to reach a certain point of no return to even consider the idea of acupuncture. Unfortunately, most migraine sufferers will no doubt reach this point of return at some point. Migraines headache pain can be unbearable to the point of excruciating pain and almost anyone who has ever suffered more than one migraine has reached a level of pain t which they would accept a tiny pinprick if it intended a cessation of their migraine agony to go away.
But does acupuncture actually relieve migraine symptoms? Though a few studies have concluded that acupuncture is an effective migraine prevention strategy, nothing official has yet been determined, although much research is present to suggest that it is compelling for managing mild to moderate migraine attacks.
How acupuncture treatment mainly works is by inserting fine needles in specific points on the body, which are then gently manipulated with the needles. This supposedly increases blood flow in the tissues. This blood flow is called the axon reflex. It works by dilating the blood vessels around the needle area, permitting for an increase circulation where blood flow had previously been poor. Which this method is called stagnation and is intended to be a really good response for most chronic circumstances for which one would seek acupuncture treatment, including migraine prevention.
This is not the one and only method of using acupuncture to treat migraines, however. Because the pain experienced during a migraine is associated by the dilation of cranial blood vessels, provoking the reaction described above by inserting needles into the head and neck might not be the most excellent thing to do during a migraine episode. In fact, it could worsen the pain and bring on nausea. For this reason, some acupuncture practitioners try to reduce the amount of movement in the blood vessels in the head and neck during a migraine attack by restricting the acupuncture points to those on the arms and legs. To avoid unneeded dilation of the cranial vessels, consequently, the head and neck areas are rarely stimulated. In addition, rather than treating the patient in a prone stance as would usually be done, this method of treatment is usually done with the patient sitting up because the blood vessels can be better controlled when in a sitting position. This greatly reduces the possibility of undesired dilation of the blood vessels accompanying acupuncture.
Under some circumstances, a high frequency electrical current is occasionally connected to the acupuncture needles in order to help with constricting of vessels. Of course, like most other treatments for migraine pain, acupuncture doesn't come without its own side effects. Unfortunately, when it comes to acupuncture, it's less a question of side effects and more a question of side injuries. Unlike the most common side effects of medication nausea, vomiting, swelling, hives when acupuncture goes bad it can be life threatening. The most common serious injury associated with acupuncture involves the accidental puncture of the lung, which usually results in a partial collapse of the lung. In addition, one has also be informed of the dangers of infection. The most common infection associated with acupuncture treatments is viral hepatitis, which can potentially develop into a serious infection of the liver. Additional possible side effects are bacterial infections developing locally at the location of needle insertion in the skin and elsewhere in the body. Mostly, side effects appear to relate to poor hygiene and training of the acupuncturist so be certain you see some qualifications of your acupuncturist and get some recommendations beforehand if feasible.
Throwing a money wrench into the entire idea, sadly, was a report sponsored by the Journal of the American Medical Association that claimed to detect no obtainable evidenced supporting the contention that acupuncture possesses any effectiveness in treating migraines. Until other studies conclusively reach the same opinion, regardless, the decision on whether to seek treatment by sticking needles into your body remains between you and your pain threshold. |