Background
Acupuncture is one of the therapeutic methods that are used to assist patients with migraines in the recovery process.1 Acupuncture is a medical practice, which involves encouraging a patient’s body to respond quickly to a natural healing process, thereby improving the body’s functioning. There is no medicine used in the processes and hence, it is normally free of any side effects.2 This paper will outline the various ways through which acupuncture can be used to treat patients with migraines.
Method
The information in this research will be collected through a literature review. The review will be conducted using six different scholarly articles, which have information regarding acupuncture and patients with migraines. Only the most current books will be used in the review. The research is planned to last for fourteen days.
The Research Strategy
There will be a simple strategy for this research on acupuncture and patients suffering from migraines. The research team will look for detailed background information from different resources regarding the topic. The team will use catalogs and indexes to find books and periodical articles. The information on acupuncture obtained from this study will be carefully evaluated.
The Exterior-Interior Factors
There are several exterior-interior factors that will be considered when carrying out the research. These factors include the cost and time of accessing the online resources, the cost of obtaining books for review, and the criteria for acquiring skilled personnel to carry out the study.
The Expected Results
Acupuncture, which is a traditional Chinese curative practice, can be used to treat migraines.3 Acupuncture involves the introduction of stainless needless into a patient’s body at specific points within it.4 Since a migraine occurs as a result of the blockage of energy from reaching the brain, inserting the acupuncture needles into those areas helps to re-establish it.5
The Literature Review, Results and Discussion
Acupuncture has been found to be the most effective treatment for migraines and is a safe practice given that it does not involve the use of medicines.6 A migraine is a very painful headache, which in most cases is associated with sensory warning signs such as increased sensitivity to light, blind spots, vomiting, nausea, and flashes of light.7
When one experiences a migraine, the sympathetic nervous system normally responds with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. In addition, the response also causes delays in the speed with which the stomach is supposed to empty its content into the small intestine. This has the effect of decreasing blood circulation, which eventually leads to sensitivity to sound and light.8 These are the conditions that acupuncture therapy seeks to correct.9
Acupuncture functioning is based on the principle that a migraine is a condition in which there is a reduction in blood circulation within the body. As a result, there is less energy flowing into the brain. Acupuncture uses the life energy, Qi, which flows through the body to correct the condition of the reduction of blood circulation.10
The theory behind the operation of acupuncture therapy asserts that a migraine is induced by the unbalanced cyclical flow of the life energy within the meridians. Therefore, acupuncture therapy stimulates the points on the skin to alter various physiological and biochemical conditions, which in turn relieve the pain caused by a migraine.11
During the acupuncture therapy, small needles are placed along the arms, legs, shoulders, and hands of the patient. The needles used in the process are so tiny that the skin may fail to sense them. Once the insertion is done, most patients will relax for the entire treatment duration.12
The insertion of the needles is then followed by gentle manual stimulation of the needles. The stimulation has the effect of causing the small blood vessels around the areas of the needles to dilate.13 When the vessels dilate, more blood begins to flow into the tissues. After some time, there will be a large of blood flow in the entire body including the brain. Through the blood, energy is now able to flow into the brain.14 It is advisable that the process be conducted when the patient is in a recumbent position so as to prevent the vessels that are not around the area of the needles from dilating.15
In conclusion, the process of acupuncture involves inserting the needles only up to the dermis of the skin. The manual stimulation is given when the patient is sitting upright and inhaling. To increase the blood flow within the muscle tissue, approximately 1Hz electrical current may be added to the acupuncture needles.
Bibliography
Cui, C, & X Xing, Illustrated treatment for migraine using acupuncture, moxibustion and tuina massage, Singing Dragon, London, 2011.
Edlin, G, & E Golanty, Health and wellness, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA, 2010.
Henry, KA, & AP Bossis, 100 questions and answers about migraine, Jones and Bartlett, Sudbury, MA, 2009.
Hickey, S, The vitamins cure for migraines, Basic Health Publications, Laguna Beach, CA, 2010.
Kidson, R, Is acupuncture right for you?: what it is, why it works, and how it can help you, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT, 2008.
Marcus, DA, 10 simple solutions to migraines: recognize triggers, control symptoms, and reclaim your life, New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, CA, 2006.
Footnotes
- 1 R Kidson, Is acupuncture right for you?: what it is, why it works, and how it can help you, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, VT, 2008, p. 27.
- 2 Ibid.
- 3 Ibid., p 28.
- 4 C Cui & X Xing, Illustrated treatment for migraine using acupuncture, moxibustion and tuina massage, Singing Dragon, London, 2011, p. 187.
- 5 Cui, p. 188.
- 6 Kidson, p. 29.
- 7 DA Marcus, 10 simple solutions to migraines: recognize triggers, control symptoms, and reclaim your life, New Harbinger Publications, Oakland, CA, 2006, p. 82.
- 8Iibid., p. 83.
- 9 KA Henry, & AP Bossis, 100 questions and answers about migraine, Jones and Bartlett, Sudbury, MA, 2009, p. 3.
- 10 G Edlin & E Golanty, Health and wellness, Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Sudbury, MA, 2010, p. 454.
- 11 Kidson, p. 30.
- 12 Ibid., p. 31.
- 13 S Hickey, The vitamins cure for migraines, Basic Health Publications, Laguna Beach, CA, 2010, p. 140.
- 14 Kidson, p. 32.
- 15 Marcus, p. 84.