Acupuncture is good at relieving headaches – but it may not need to be precise, according to a new analysis published today.
"Fake" acupuncture treatments are almost as good as the real thing, according to German researchers.
And when it comes to treating migraine, acupuncture may be better than preventative drugs, according to the analysis for the Cochrane Library.
According to researcher Klaus Linde, the benefits of acupuncture may be due to "placebo" effects and possibly to the needling of the skin – rather than the selection of acupuncture points.
The findings come from an analysis of 33 trials involving some 6,700 patients.
The study showed that patients who received acupuncture fared better than those treated only with pain-killers.
Dr Linde added: "Doctors need to know how long improvements associated with acupuncture will last and whether better trained acupuncturists really achieve better results than those with basic training only."
Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, Manheimer E, Vickers A, White AR. Acupuncture for tension-type headache. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD007587. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007587; Acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 1. Art.No.: CD001218. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001218.pub2.
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