Acupuncture in the treatment of headache: a traditional explanation of an ancient art.

Background: Over the past 4000 years, acupuncture has survived the test of time. Recent scientific studies posit acupuncture is an effective intervention for back and joint pain and headache, including migraine.

Methods: The process of acupuncture is explained, including the role of Qi, the integration of Yang and Yin, the 5 elements, the 8 trigrams, and the metaphors that help the acupuncturist understand the patient, interpret symptoms, and determine acupuncture points in the meridians used to prevent or treat disease. A case study is presented from 3 perspectives: allopathic, traditional acupuncture, and Western acupuncture.

Results: Selected acupuncture studies in headache are reviewed. The safety of acupuncture is discussed as well as the challenges in conducting clinical studies of acupuncture.