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Neurology and Therapy
Published in: Neurology and Therapy 2/2020

Open Access 01-12-2020 | Acupuncture | Review

Acupuncture and Its Role in the Treatment of Migraine Headaches

Authors: Ivan Urits, Megha Patel, Mary Elizabeth Putz, Nikolas R. Monteferrante, Diep Nguyen, Daniel An, Elyse M. Cornett, Jamal Hasoon, Alan D. Kaye, Omar Viswanath

Published in: Neurology and Therapy | Issue 2/2020

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Abstract

Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that is performed by placing needles or pressure in specific locations on a patient’s skin to achieve a therapeutic effect. Although used to treat a variety of disorders, one of the most common applications of acupuncture is to treat chronic pain, especially headache and migraine pain. Migraines are difficult to treat, and pharmacotherapies are often the first line of treatment, although these options have many unwanted side effects, such as exacerbation of headache pain in those with chronic migraine. Many complimentary and integrative therapies are available to treat migraine (including nutraceuticals, yoga, tai chi, and biofeedback), among which acupuncture as a treatment is gaining increasing attention. In this review, we provide an overview of the current understanding of both acupuncture and migraine and of current research investigating the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating migraine and chronic migraine.
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Metadata
Title
Acupuncture and Its Role in the Treatment of Migraine Headaches
Authors
Ivan Urits
Megha Patel
Mary Elizabeth Putz
Nikolas R. Monteferrante
Diep Nguyen
Daniel An
Elyse M. Cornett
Jamal Hasoon
Alan D. Kaye
Omar Viswanath
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
Springer Healthcare
Published in
Neurology and Therapy / Issue 2/2020
Print ISSN: 2193-8253
Electronic ISSN: 2193-6536
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40120-020-00216-1

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