Treating Migraines with Acupuncture: What Science Says

Migraines can be really tough to live with — those intense headaches that come with throbbing pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. If you or someone you know is struggling with migraines, there’s a natural treatment you might want to consider: acupuncture.

How Does Acupuncture Help Migraines?

Research shows that acupuncture helps migraines through several biological mechanisms:

• Regulating Neurotransmitters: Acupuncture influences chemicals in the brain like serotonin and neuropeptides, which are involved in pain and mood regulation. This helps decrease the intensity and frequency of migraines.​

• Reducing Inflammation: It reduces neuroinflammation, which is inflammation inside the nervous system, a key factor in migraine pain.​

• Modulating Brain Activity: Neuroimaging studies show that acupuncture affects specific brain regions involved in pain processing, such as the pain matrix, default mode network, and central executive network. This helps normalize abnormal activity in these areas, leading to fewer and less severe migraines.​

Published in 2024, a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating acupuncture-related therapy for migraine headaches. It included 34 studies with a total of 3,365 migraine patients.

• Acupuncture significantly reduces migraine pain intensity better than medication, with a notable decrease in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for headache pain.

• It effectively decreases the frequency and duration of migraine attacks, reducing the number of headache days and the length of each episode compared to medication.

• Acupuncture has a better safety profile than drugs, with fewer adverse effects, making it a valuable and well-tolerated complementary or alternative migraine treatment.

These results support acupuncture as an effective, safe option to relieve and prevent migraines with lasting benefits.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38505499/

If you're suffering from migraines, explore acupuncture as a natural, drug-free approach to relief. Talk to a licensed acupuncturist at Autumn Dream Clinic to see if this safe and effective therapy could help you enjoy fewer, less severe migraines and improve your quality of life. Don’t wait—take the first step toward better health today!