News on headaches

On the BBC news today is the observation from doctors that overuse of painkillers can cause worsening of headaches and migraine. Alongside this is the recommendation from NICE that acupuncture be considered as an alternative treatment, given its effectiveness in treating tension headaches and migraines. To read the BBC news article, click here. To look at fact sheets on my website about acupuncture treatment for headaches and migraines click here.

Acupuncture helping menopausal women sleep better

A study has just been published on the effect of acupuncture on the quality of sleep in menopause. Many women report an increase in insomnia in the menopausal and postmenopausal years. Although previous studies have apparently not fully demonstrated the efficacy of acupuncture, this one definitely demonstrates a positive effect. Acupuncture was compared with sham acupuncture and no acupuncture, and women were given five weeks of Acupuncture or sham acupuncture treatment.  

Menopausal women receiving true acupuncture reported an improved quality of sleep after treatment. Full details here.  

To return to my website, click here.

More on Acupuncture and IVF

Brazilian researchers have demonstrated that acupuncture, given to women undergoing IVF treatment, relieves symptoms of anxiety.  I find this interesting, as it is one of the features of acupuncture mostly commonly commented on, by patients. It is often a surprise to patients to find that lying on a couch with needles in them, can actually make them feel calm, relaxed and better in themselves! Patients having IVF often observe to me how much acupuncture helps them feel calmer.

It is good to know that research has quantifiably demonstrated this effect although it is a pity that the researchers did not also correlate this with the outcome of IVF treatment. There have been other studies which show that relaxation and laughter after embryo transfer help success rates see Clown Study.

I am looking forward to seeing more studies like this one. To access the research click here or to go to my website, click here.