Head off headaches with acupuncture

Natural Health, June, 2004

Tiny needles may be your key to banishing frequent headaches. In a British Medical Journal study of 401 adults who averaged several days of headache every week, those who received regular acupuncture for up to three months had the equivalent of 22 fewer headache days per year, used 15 percent less medication, made 25 percent fewer visits to their doctors and took 15 percent fewer sick days than those who didn't receive acupuncture.

"The health benefits compare very well with treatments like medication and rehabilitation," says study author Andrew J. Vickers, Ph.D. What's more, those who received acupuncture reported greater levels of energy and maintained their level of improvement for at least nine months after treatment ended.