(Note from Dr. Randy Martin: This research article shows the undeniable effectiveness of acupuncture for treatment of Migraine Headaches.)
Acupuncture Today
August, 2008, Vol. 10, Issue 08
Acupuncture Effective for Migraine Relief
By Editorial Staff
As any chronic sufferer will tell you, migraine headaches can be debilitating, affecting concentration and the ability to perform daily tasks. In fact, the odds are high that a patient will come to see you with a complaint of migraines.
Fortunately, as research suggests, Chinese medicine may help stop migraines in their tracks. In the March 2008 issue of the journal Headache, Italian researchers published the results of a study that involved 160 migraine patients.
• exogenous wind-heat attack;
• exogenous wind-dampness attack;
• excess of liver yang;
• obstruction of the middle jiao due to damp phlegm;
• deficiency of kidney essence; or
• stagnation of qi and blood.
The researchers found that of all the groups studied, only the group that received real acupuncture showed a significant improvement both in terms of migraine disability and reduced medication use, both at the three- and six-month follow-up. Mock acupuncture showed a slight placebo effect, but only at the three-month follow-up.
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Dr. Martin’s Comments:
My experience is that of every problem I have treated over a 25+ year history, migraine headaches are truly one of the easiest and most effective problems I’ve treated. In most women, they are commonly associated with hormone imbalances. In both men and women, they are commonly associated with stress.
Most of my patients who suffer from migraines are also low in magnesium and calcium and don’t get enough exercise. The other very common ingredient in most of my migraine patients is that many have a low thyroid, but it doesn’t show up on blood tests.
When we use the basal test to check the thyroid, it turns out that the thyroid is a bit low. We use natural supplements to help with both the low thyroid and hormone imbalances, and along with the acupuncture, we see some great results!
If you are someone who is afraid of needles, then we can treat you using homeopathy and herbs only. I also always look at the blood work of patients who have migraines because there is usually some imbalance.
I’ll also have them write down what they eat, so we ca see if there is any blood sugar problem or other nutritional deficiency going on. Often changing the eating and exercise patterns will also help to make a big difference.