Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of vestibular migraines. Affiliated Hospital of Shanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine researchers conducted a clinical trial and determined that acupuncture with moxibustion is more effective than flunarizine for the alleviation or elimination of dizziness and cephalalgia due to vestibular migraines. Warm needle acupuncture produced significantly greater clinical improvements and produced a lower relapse rate than flunarizine. [1] The following measurement parameters were recorded and evaluated: Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and dizziness duration.
The researchers note that jing-luo principles apply to their treatment protocols. The approach to patient care was based on the treatment principle of enhancing qi and blood circulation to the brain and head using warm needle acupuncture. The patient sample size consisted of 68 patients that were admitted into the hospital. The 68 patients were randomly divided into a drug monotherapy observation group and a warm needle acupuncture group, with 34 patients in each group. Participants in the trial had no significant differences in terms of course of disease or mean age when initially admitted. For inclusion criteria, the sample met the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3).
The drug observation group received regular doses of flunarizine (5 mg) for a period of two weeks but did not receive any acupuncture. Flunarizine is a vasodilator, an antivertigo agent, a histamine receptor antagonist (antihistamine), and a calcium channel blocker. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatments in a supine position; however, they did not receive any medications.
Daily acupuncture treatments were applied for a period of two weeks. Follow-up evaluations were performed 8 weeks after completion of treatment.
The researchers note that a previous study compared the efficacy of warm needle acupuncture plus herbs with patients receiving both ibuprofen and flunarizine hydrochloride. That study showed similar results. [2] The study focused on migraines without aura due to cold-type blood stasis and included both acupuncture and herbal medicine.
