headaches

[Guest guest]

I don't know if I posted this before. I'm starting to get more interesting =

stuff by

subscribing to Medscape which gets me a weekly newsletter. I don't know if =

these are

interesting to the group or not.

doug

 

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/474713?src=mp

 

Electroacupuncture Helpful for Tension-Type Headache  =

 

 

 

 

 

News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD

CME Author: Charles Vega, MD, FAAFP

Authors and Disclosures

 

 

April 29, 2004 — Electroacupuncture to distal points alone is effective for=

the

treatment of tension-type headache (TTH), according to the results of a ran=

domized

trial published in the April issue of Headache.

 

" Electroacupuncture is commonly used for tension-type headache, but when ap=

plied

to distal acupoints only, evidence of its efficacy [has been] lacking, " wri=

te Charlie

Changli Xue, PhD, from RMIT University in Bundoora, Victoria, Australia, an=

d

colleagues. " To the best of our knowledge, the current study is the first o=

f its kind

using distal acupoints only for treating TTH. "

 

This single-blinded, sham-controlled, crossover trial had five stages: base=

line for two

weeks; phases I and II, each four weeks; washout period for two weeks; and =

follow-up

for three months after phase II. Of 40 patients randomized to receive real =

 

electroacupuncture during phase I, then sham electroacupuncture in phase II=

, or to

receiving the treatments in reverse order, 37 patients completed the trial.=

Both

groups were similar at baseline.

 

After phase I, the group receiving real electroacupuncture had significant =

 

improvements in mean headache frequency (3.0 ± 0.3 per month vs. 12.0 ± 1.7=

per

month, duration, 13.3 ± 3.5 hours vs. 32.0 ± 6.2 hours), pain intensity usi=

ng a visual

analog scale (32.8 ± 4.1 mm vs. 47.5 ± 2.7 mm), mechanical pain threshold, =

 

headache disability score (6.0 ± 1.0 vs. 16.3 ± 1.6), and sickness impact s=

core (288.7

± 48.0 vs. 687.1 ± 77.2).

 

For each parameter, both groups also had significant differences between ba=

seline

and phase II, and between baseline and follow-up. At the end of follow-up, =

there

were no significant differences between groups.

 

Study limitations include possibly insufficient length of washout, because =

there was

no regression to baseline during the washout period.

 

" Electroacupuncture to distal points alone is effective for short-term symp=

tomatic

relief of tension-type headache, " the authors write. " The treatment is rela=

tively safe,

as no side effects were reported throughout the study. "

 

The authors recommend additional research on the long-term effect of distal=

 

acupuncture by repeated measurements during follow-up, and on the methods

employed for acupoint selection.