A migraine is truly a painful headache. The person can take pills to stop the attack or prevent this from happening before starting on the day. The drugs used can be aspirin, Benadryl or Tylenol to Botox in western medicine.

There is another form of treatment that can help alleviate the pain of those suffering from migraines. This method will involve using a lot of long and sharp needles which is known to people as acupuncture.

Acupuncture was first used to treat muscle pain which dates back more than 2500 years ago in China. There are a lot of countries who practice this today in Asia such as Japan and Korea. The technique works by inserting needles in problem areas of the body which will normalize things once again.

Can inserting needles in the body really work? The answer is yes according to a study done in the United Kingdom. There were 401 participants of various ages who suffered from migraine and tried this technique. The study was done over a 3 month period and the results are amazing.

Some participants only experienced migraines 8 days compared to more than 15 or 20 in the past. A smaller percentage didn't use that much medication anymore prescribed by the doctor.

Some of the volunteers no longer had to visit the clinic regularly to get rid of the pain. The best is that the productivity of the individual improved due to fewer absences from work.

Though the study was quite small, researches are coming up with a bigger group to test the results validity. Should this be true, then these professionals insist that acupuncture must also be allowed to be part of a person's insurance coverage to get treatment for migraines.

Can acupuncture really work for a migraine sufferer? This depends on the condition of the attack and the person. The recommendation for one patient is different from the other so doctors have to review the lab tests before anything can be done.

The concern of most patients who are given medicines to treat any disease is the side effect. People will be happy to know that acupuncture doesn't have any side effects. The worst thing that can happen is that the needle punctured a lung or some other part of the body.

Another is getting hepatitis or some other disease if the needles were not sterilized properly. This makes the procedure very delicate and can only be done a qualified professional to avoid complications from happening.

Acupuncture has been practiced in the United States for more than 20 years. It has been used to treat muscle pain and stop addiction but never been used to treat acupuncture.

This makes it necessary to conduct more tests about acupuncture. This is not only to verify the claims done by researchers in the United Kingdom but also to know if this can also be used to treat other diseases.

Until such time that acupuncture is recognized as a way to fight off migraines, people will still have to rely on conventional medicine by going to the doctor to get the prescribed medicine and the right dosage.

The person must also do something to prevent migraines from happening by making some lifestyle changes. These include regular visits to the doctor, rest, exercise and a balanced diet.