Laser Acupuncture Effective in Relieving Tension Headaches
Headaches affects the quality of life for many people throughout the world, and tension headaches are among the commonest forms. The search for an effective, drug-free treatment without side effects has made Acupuncture the most widely practiced non-medicinal treatment for headaches in the world.
Now, a scientific study supports the use of “laser Acupuncture” as a very effective treatment for tension headache. Fifty headache sufferers were split into two groups, one group treated with standard low-energy laser Acupuncture, the other with the laser intensity set to “zero” so that the laser could not create any Acupuncture-point stimulation. The zero-intensity group had no way of knowing they were receiving placebo Acupuncture. Ten sessions were given, three treatments per week.
The study analyzed the variables: headache intensity, duration of attacks, and number of days with a headache per month. These were found by having the participants keep a daily diary, which was then assessed monthly for three months after treatments.
Statistics Validate the Effectiveness of Laser Acupuncture
There were significant differences between groups in changes from baseline in months one, two and three. The median score for headache intensity in the treatment group showed decreases of -5, -3 and -2, whereas the placebo group showed a decrease of only –1 the first month, and then no improvement in the second and third months. Duration of attacks in the treatment group were reduced by a score of -6, -4 and -4 again in the third month. The placebo group showed only a -1 in the first month, and no subsequent improvement. The number of days with headaches per month in the treatment group went down by -15, -10 and -8, while the placebo group had a -2 in the first month and no subsequent improvement.
Laser Acupuncture uses high-energy, focused laser light instead of traditional Acupuncture needles to achieve stimulation of Acupuncture points in the body. The advantages are that the laser is completely painless, whereas the traditional needle can cause a small but painful jab; and a small number of patients are “needle phobic” who are just plain afraid of needles. For them, the laser is the perfect answer for their tension headaches, or for the many other conditions for which Acupuncture has proven so helpful.