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Headache
sufferers face a potentially debilitating problem if they do not find some way to treat their
headaches. They impact on every part of their lives. Headaches can disrupt their employment,
schooling and social activities. Those people who suffer from chronic headaches, migraines or
cluster headaches continue to search for an answer that is more than taking another medication or
lying in a dark room waiting for it to go away. Some of the medication that works have side effects
and the pain that one endures waiting in the darkened room for sleep to come is more than some can
tolerate. That is why headache sufferers continue to search for a treatment knowing that it can
change their lives. Its the same reason so many have turned to acupuncture hoping it is the
answer.
The use of acupuncture for headache treatment is not new. It has been going on for hundreds of
years. There are even acupuncturists who prefer to limit their practices solely to headache
sufferers. This problem is one that acupuncture is known to help because it deals with more than
just the pain. It works on the causes too.
In the last thirty years the use of acupuncture for headache care has been studied worldwide. The
conclusions have shown the success of this treatment. Studies conducted over the last seven years
prove continuously that there is improvement for the person who uses acupuncture as a headache
treatment. They even show improvement for those suffering with cluster headaches, reported to be
the worst, most painful of all headaches.
Statistics show that acupuncture does not necessarily stop headaches
completely but it definitely reduces the average per month and the overall degree of headache pain.
One study group found that after a three month course of acupuncture treatments the headache
frequency went from having headaches nearly nine days out of a month to less than five. Those with
migraines went from an average of seven headache days to only four monthly. Tension headaches were
reduced from ten times monthly to half that. These positive results continued for ninety days after
treatments stopped. During the treatment period only fifty percent of the patients required
medication during their headaches. The control group required it among seventy percent of their
people.
Another group in a recent study was given scalp acupuncture to deal with their headache pain.
Headaches do not necessarily require pain relief that is only through the needles being put in the
scalp. Depending on the cause of the headaches needles may be inserted on the arms and legs as
well. Of those who used scalp acupuncture ninety eight percent not only had significant relief, no
headaches or greatly diminished ones, but this relief lasted over six months after the treatments
ended.
This continuing evidence of acupuncture success with headache pain should be a message to all
headache sufferers who are tired of the intense pain, the disruption to their days and want to try
a treatment that will be safe.
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