Relief from Headaches through Acupuncture
Elizabeth Radisson

Defined Tag: Headache Relief.
When most people consider relief from headache pain, medication, such as Advil or ibuprofen often come to mind. There is however, alternative therapy to deal with headache, and the results obtained may surprise you.With that in mind, some people have chosen alternative therapy to treat their problem, and the results may surprise you. Acupuncture is a traditional method of Chinese therapy that has been used for centuries, and many have been drawn to it for its effectiveness in dealing with headache problems.

People who suffer with chronic daily headaches know how agonizing it is to deal with pain on a daily basis. It can really interfere with your way of life, and taking care of the problem is not altogether easy. Using over-the-counter analgesics to deal may only be effective in the short-term, as the body can build up a resistance to medications, and punish you with a painful ‘rebound headache’  which doesn’t respond to medication. Because of this decreased effectiveness over time, may people who are faced with long-term headache problems have sought alternative and natural therapys, such as acupuncture.

Thoughts of acupuncture may trigger frightening images in those with a fear of needles. In acupuncture, needles are placed in specific points in the body, for varying lengths of time, in order to ease many different medical problems. Recent research into the use of acupuncture treatment has shown it may rival medication when used to treat headaches. The studies, conducted in Germany, involved using acupuncture to treat both migraines and tension headaches -- the two most common types of headache. The results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that indeed, acupuncture was an effective form of therapy.    

Advocates of acupuncture insist that the treatment clearly surpasses the use of medication to treat headaches. They argue that there are no side effects in the body caused by acupuncture, while there are significant side effects associated with the drugs used to ease headache pain. Without a full body of evidence to support such claims, one should be wary. The German study shows that there is merit in the use of acupuncture treatment, but it is only one study. There needs to be more studies published regarding the use of acupuncture for headache relief before accurate conclusions can be drawn about the treatment’s effectiveness. It is always possible that a placebo effect is to blame for the results.

Another thing to consider is the gateway theory, which states that the body can only experience so many sensations at once, and when it reaches sensory overload, it will simply begin to reject some of the sensations. This theory is supported by the natural reaction of rubbing and injury: when something is causing you intense pain, you rub it and the pain seems to go away. This may be due to the gateway theory, and acupuncture therapy may work in much the same way. By concentrating on the pain of the needles, your body may simply be rejecting the pain signals that it is receiving due to the headache.

Until more information is collected, be sure to fully consider all your options before choosing any treatment.