 |
Title |
Acupuncture Therapy Beneficial For Migraine |
Clinical Question |
In dental patients with migraines, how does acupuncture compare to no treatment in the patients treatment management? |
Clinical Bottom Line |
Randomized controlled trials support the use of acupuncture therapy in reducing patients’ pain, and improving overall quality of life. |
Best Evidence |
(you may view more info by clicking on the PubMed ID link) |
PubMed ID |
Author / Year |
Patient Group |
Study type
(level of evidence) |
#1) 21717781 | Zhen/2011 | 60 aura-absence migraine outpatients ( 30 oral administration of Flunarizine medication and 30 acupuncture) | RCT | Key results | Acupuncture therapy can raise patients with migraine’s life quality, lessen the times and severity of headache attack, provides a superior therapeutic effect to that of medication. The cure rate and the total effective rate of the acupuncture group were significantly higher than those of the medication group (P < 0.05). | #2) 22894176 | Yang/2012 | 30 (3 groups: Traditional Acupuncture Group (TAG), Control Acupuncture Group (CAG), and Migraine Group (MG). | RCT | Key results | Acupuncture stimulation of different points on similar body regions in migraine patients reduces pain and induces different levels of cerebral glucose metabolism in pain-related brain regions. Positron emission tomography along with computed tomography (PET-CT) were used to test differences in brain activation. | #3) 22888768 | Wallasch/2012 | 35 (18 acupuncture and 17 placebo) | RCT | Key results | Preventive treatment of migraines by standardized acupuncture may positively influence the dysfunction of the cerebrovascular response to autonomic stimuli, but not the cerebral vasotonus during rest. Pre-/post-acupuncture treatment comparisons showed a significant decrease of days with migraine headache (-52.5%; p<0.001), and significantly diminished cerebrovascular response patterns to Valsalva stimulus in the acupuncture group ( p<0.001), as compared to insignificant decrease in placebo-acupuncture patients’ migraines. | |
Evidence Search |
Search ("Acupuncture Therapy"[Mesh]) AND "Headache Disorders"[Mesh] |
Comments on
The Evidence |
According to the current evidences reviewed above, acupuncture treatment does improve patients’ treatment management and overall quality of life. The study design of these randomized clinical trials include standardized acupuncture methods along with validated testing techniques such as: (PET-CT), Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD), and the SF-36 Quality-of-Life Instrument (SF-36). All of these testing methods combine to provide solid clinical evidence. The randomized cerebrovascular trial also provides strong evidence by being a quasi double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. |
Applicability |
Alternative acupuncture therapy reviewed in this short-term study may be appropriate for TMD patients diagnosed with migraines. Continued acupuncture therapies may be needed to maintain the achieved benefits. |
Specialty/Discipline |
(General Dentistry) (Dental Hygiene) |
Keywords |
Acupuncture Therapy, TMD, Headache Disorders, Migraines, TMD therapy
|
ID# |
2443 |
Date of submission: |
03/01/2013 |
E-mail |
tamia@livemail.uthscsa.edu |
Author |
Alexandria Tami |
Co-author(s) |
|
Co-author(s) e-mail |
|
Faculty mentor/Co-author |
Edward F. Wright, DDS, MS |
Faculty mentor/Co-author e-mail |
wrightE2@uthscsa.edu |
Basic Science Rationale
(Mechanisms that may account for and/or explain the clinical question, i.e. is the answer to the clinical question consistent with basic biological, physical and/or behavioral science principles, laws and research?) |
post a rationale |
None available | |
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Comments and Evidence-Based Updates on the CAT
(FOR PRACTICING DENTISTS', FACULTY, RESIDENTS and/or STUDENTS COMMENTS ON PUBLISHED CATs) |
post a comment |
None available | |
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