Acupuncture is an effective alternative to medication for migraine: An umbrella review
Abstract
Background: Migraine is a highly prevalent primary headache disorder that impacts individuals and societies around the globe. Acupuncture can be used in migraine treatment and prevention due to its analgesic effects, safety profile, and modulation of neural pathways. However, there is a lack of conclusive evidence, and some reports present conflicting results.
Objective: The aim of this umbrella review is to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in migraine treatment, comparing it to the standard pharmacological treatment.
Search strategy: MEDLINE (via PubMed), Embase, Web of Science (all databases), Cochrane, and Epistemonikos databases were searched for articles published prior to February 2024 in English, Portuguese, French and Spanish, and no date restriction was applied.
Inclusion criteria: Systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, of randomized controlled trials, comparing acupuncture with standard pharmacological treatment were included. Patients of all ages diagnosed with episodic or chronic migraine, with or without aura, according to international guidelines were included. The main outcome was the pain intensity. Secondary outcomes included days with migraine per month, response rate, quality of life, dropout rate, use of rescue medication, and adverse events.
Data extraction and analysis: Articles were initially evaluated based on the title and abstract, and later based on the full text, independently by two reviewers. For the meta-analysis, data were…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 24,635 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Calcium Ions in the Physiology and Pathology of the Central Nervous System
- AI-powered in silico twins: redefining precision medicine through simulation, personalization, and predictive healthcare
- In silico functional, structural and pathogenicity analysis of missense single nucleotide polymorphisms in human MCM6 gene
- In Silico drug repurposing pipeline using deep learning and structure based approaches in epilepsy
- Targeting serotonin receptors with phytochemicals – an in-silico study
- In silico exploration of anti-prostate cancer compounds from differential expressed genes
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.