Acupuncture - An Alternative  Remedy For Headaches 



Today, an increasing number of people are looking for alternative treatments for their headaches. This is because the conventional way of treating headaches is becoming less and less effective. Painkillers and other headache medications are still being taken for headache relief, but they still prove to be ineffective at treating a wide range of headaches. Thus, people are turning to alternative treatments, such as acupuncture. Based on results from clinical tests, acupuncture has shown to be effective in the treatment of headaches.

The Problem with Conventional Medications

There are conventional medications specifically designed to treat tension headaches and migraine headaches. In general, though, these medications are not able to treat other types of headaches. It has been found that some medications can make headaches worse -- such as transform an ordinary migraine into a chronic daily headache (CDH).

Migraine sufferers who end up with CDH suffer even more, since CDH is a much harder type of headache to treat. People with chronic daily headache suffer from it 15 times or more in any given month. Suffice it to say that it is ironic that medication for treating a simple migraine can cause the headache to evolve into a more serious one. CDH appears to be gaining ground, with more and more people developing the condition. This has prompted sufferers and even physicians to look into alternative treatments.

Looking for an Alternative Treatment

Foods and poor or little sleep are enough to trigger most headaches. In most cases, simply taking precautions (e.g., avoiding certain foods and getting adequate sleep) can prevent such headaches from occurring. However, there are times when taking precautionary measures is not possible or conventional medications are not able to relieve the more serious types of headaches. This is where acupuncture comes in, as it is proving itself as an effective alternative treatment for headaches.

Acupuncture is of Eastern origin and have been used for over 5,000 years. In Eastern cultures, acupuncture is the treatment used not only for headaches, but for a wide range of ills. In fact, it is only recently that acupuncture was discovered as an effective alternative treatment for headaches.

The ancient Chinese believes that there are energy points in the body, and the energy force (Qi) become unbalanced. This unbalanced in Qi is what result to an illness. Acupuncture works by inserting fine needles into specific energy lines on the body in an attempt to re-balance the Qi. The acupuncture needles can remain for a few minutes to a few hours.

Results of Studies on Acupuncture as a Treatment for Headache

Two studies in Germany showed that people with tension headaches and migraine were helped by acupuncture compared with those who did not receive acupuncture therapy. However, the difference between real acupuncture and placebo acupuncture is yet to be determined. Headache sufferers who received placebo acupuncture (needles inserted into areas that are not considered energy points) experienced relief from their headaches the same way the headache sufferers who received real acupuncture did. From this, it can be inferred that the good results could be attributed to the power of suggestion. Then again, if it is the case, then the placebo acupuncture may have tapped into something important.

As a result of the studies on acupuncture and its effectiveness in treating headaches, many medical practitioners around the world are offering to their patients acupuncture as an alternative treatment for headaches. After all, acupuncture is known to be without any harmful side effects.