According to the CDC, in the United States, over 15 percent of all adults complain about severe headaches or migraines, with prevalence among women more than twice as high as among men. In 2021, 4.3% of adults aged ≥18 years reported being bothered a lot by headache or migraine in the past 3 months, with a higher percentage among women (6.2%) than men (2.2%).
Treatment options include medication that can often leave sufferers feeling groggy and unlike themselves for hours after taking it. Many people are looking for a drug-free way to combat the root cause of migraines and they’re finding it with acupuncture. Let’s look at how acupuncture can truly provide relief to those suffering from chronic migraines.
What Are Migraines?
Migraines are more than just severe headaches. They are complex neurological events characterized by recurring, pulsating pain often on one side of the head accompanied by symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, light and sound sensitivity, visual disturbances (auras), and even speech or motor disruptions.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), migraines are one of the top 10 most disabling medical conditions worldwide. For chronic sufferers (defined as having 15 or more headache days per month) life can be severely limited, impacting productivity, relationships, and emotional health.
While standard treatments include triptans, beta-blockers, anti-seizure medications, and lifestyle changes, many patients experience insufficient relief or unwanted side effects. And that’s where acupuncture comes into play.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, migraines are often seen as a result of Qi or Blood stagnation, Liver Yang rising, or Wind invasion, imbalances that acupuncture seeks to correct. From a Western perspective, acupuncture is thought to stimulate the nervous system, improve blood circulation, and release pain-relieving neurotransmitters like endorphins and serotonin.
Scientific Support for Acupuncture and Migraines
The growing body of clinical research supports acupuncture as a legitimate and effective treatment for migraine management. Here’s what the evidence says.
A comprehensive meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine (2012) examined 29 randomized controlled trials with nearly 18,000 participants. It found that acupuncture is significantly more effective than both sham acupuncture and no acupuncture for chronic pain, including migraines.
Another study published in The BMJ (2016) followed 245 patients with episodic migraines. The group receiving acupuncture showed significantly reduced migraine frequency and intensity compared to the control group.
A systematic review in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2016) concluded that acupuncture is at least as effective as prophylactic drug treatment for migraines and with fewer adverse effects. Patients in the studies reported reduced migraine days per month, improved quality of life, and decreased dependency on medications.
Acupuncture may help reduce reliance on painkillers, which is critical given the risk of medication-overuse headaches, a common and paradoxical problem for migraine patients. One study found that acupuncture reduced the number of headache days and medication use in chronic headache sufferers more effectively than standard care alone.
How Acupuncture Helps with Migraines
From both a TCM and biomedical perspective, acupuncture addresses multiple migraine-related issues including pain regulation, reducing inflammation and vasodilation, balancing the nervous system, and improving sleep and reducing stress.
Acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins and enkephalins, natural chemicals in the body that relieve pain. It also modulates pain signaling pathways in the brain, providing both immediate and lasting relief. Migraines are associated with inflammation and changes in blood vessels in the brain. Acupuncture can reduce neurogenic inflammation and normalize vasodilation, potentially preventing the cascade that leads to a migraine attack.
Chronic migraines often stem from nervous system dysregulation. Acupuncture helps regulate the autonomic nervous system, reduce stress-related triggers, and balance hormonal fluctuations that may contribute to migraines, especially in women. Sleep disturbances and stress are major migraine triggers. Acupuncture has been shown to improve sleep quality and decrease anxiety levels, creating a more stable internal environment less conducive to migraine development.
What to Expect During Treatment
Most acupuncture treatments for migraines involve targeting a combination of local points (near the head and neck) and distal points (on the hands, feet, or legs) to move energy and reduce systemic imbalances.
A typical course of treatment may involve 6–12 sessions, often once or twice a week. Many patients begin to feel relief within the first few treatments, with benefits accumulating over time.
Some commonly used acupoints for migraines include:
- LI4 (Hegu) – on the hand, known for pain relief.
- GB20 (Fengchi) – at the base of the skull, helpful for tension and vascular headaches.
- Yintang – between the eyebrows, calming and grounding.
- LV3 (Taichong) – on the foot, regulates Liver Qi and alleviates tension.
If you suffer from migraines, you don’t need to suffer in silence anymore. Relief could be just a few pain-free needles away! Make an appointment today and begin the journey to migraine relief.
