"The pain that headache and migraine sufferers endure can impact every aspect of their lives. Acupuncture can offer powerful relief without the side effects that prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause."

* A recent study in the UK found "Acupuncture ... results in persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine, compared with controls. We also found improvements in quality of life, decreases in use of medication and visits to general practitioners, and reductions in days off sick."*2

Acupuncture treats the underlying cause of headaches as opposed to masking it. This often results in lasting relief and prevents the condition from spiraling out of control, requiring more and more pain killers. Acupuncture can also be combined with Tui Na massage to relieve underlying stress and tension.

Where and how do I make a booking?

Treatments are available from Observatory, Cape Town. Fill in the form on the contact page or phone the acupuncturist directly with the number supplied to make an appointment.

*www.acufinder.com

*2 Acupuncture for chronic headache in primary care: large, pragmatic, randomised trial

Andrew J Vickers, assistant attending research methodologist, Rebecca W Rees, research officer, Catherine E Zollman, general practitioner, Rob McCarney, research officer, Claire M Smith, senior trials coordinator, Nadia Ellis, lecturer, Peter Fisher, director of research, Robbert Van Haselen, deputy director of research

Discussion
Main findings
Acupuncture in addition to standard care results in persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine, compared with controls. We also found improvements in quality of life, decreases in use of medication and visits to general practitioners, and reductions in days off sick. Methodological strengths of our study include a large sample size, concealed randomisation, and careful follow up. We have maximised the practical value of the trial by comparing the effects of clinically relevant alternatives on a diverse group of patients recruited directly from primary care.

Abstract
Objective To determine the effects of a policy of “use acupuncture" on headache, health status, days off sick, and use of resources in patients with chronic headache compared with a policy of “avoid acupuncture."

Design Randomised, controlled trial.

Setting General practices in England and Wales.

Participants 401 patients with chronic headache, predominantly migraine.

Interventions Patients were randomly allocated to receive up to 12 acupuncture treatments over three months or to a control intervention offering usual care.

Main outcome measures Headache score, SF-36 health status, and use of medication were assessed at baseline, three, and 12 months. Use of resources was assessed every three months.

Results Headache score at 12 months, the primary end point, was lower in the acupuncture group (16.2, SD 13.7, n = 161, 34% reduction from baseline) than in controls (22.3, SD 17.0, n = 140, 16% reduction from baseline). The adjusted difference between means is 4.6 (95% confidence interval 2.2 to 7.0; P = 0.0002). This result is robust to sensitivity analysis incorporating imputation for missing data. Patients in the acupuncture group experienced the equivalent of 22 fewer days of headache per year (8 to 38). SF-36 data favoured acupuncture, although differences reached significance only for physical role functioning, energy, and change in health. Compared with controls, patients randomised to acupuncture used 15% less medication (P = 0.02), made 25% fewer visits to general practitioners (P = 0.10), and took 15% fewer days off sick (P = 0.2).

Conclusions Acupuncture leads to persisting, clinically relevant benefits for primary care patients with chronic headache, particularly migraine. Expansion of NHS acupuncture services should be considered.

Read the full report here: http://www.bmj.com/content/328/7442/744.full