Acupuncture, Real and Otherwise, Relieves Migraines

The good news is that acupuncture does appear to relieve the pain of migraine headaches. And the better news is that it doesn't even have to be real acupuncture. As the New York Times reports, German researchers divided 302 migraine sufferers into three groups. The patients were told that one group would receive acupuncture "similar to the acupuncture treatment used in China," and that the second would receive a type of acupuncture that did not follow the Chinese principles but "has been associated with positive outcomes in clinical studies."  A third group was put on a waiting list and received treatment later.  After 12 weeks, real acupuncture succeeded with 51 percent of the patients, and the sham procedure succeeded with 53 percent, a statistically insignificant difference. Only 15 percent of the waiting list group attained the 50 percent reduction in headache days. Read more here.