Acupuncture beats aspirin for chronic headache

Acupuncture works better than drugs like aspirin to reduce the severity and frequency of chronic headaches, US researchers have reported. A review of studies involving nearly 4,000 patients with migraine, tension headache and other forms of chronic headache showed that 62 percent of the acupuncture patients reported headache relief compared to 45 percent of people taking medications, the team at Duke University found.

"Acupuncture is becoming a favourable option for a variety of purposes, ranging from enhancing fertility to decreasing post-operative pain, because people experience significantly fewer side effects and it can be less expensive than other options. This analysis reinforces that acupuncture also is a successful source of relief from chronic headaches." said the lead researcher (from Reuters via www.dose.ca).