title: Traditional Chinese acupuncture in tension-type headache: a controlled study.
abstract: Thirty patients with tension-type headache were randomly chosen to undergo a trial of traditional Chinese acupuncture and sham acupuncture. Five measures were used to assess symptom severity and treatment response: intensity, duration and frequency of headache pain episodes, headache index and analgesic intake. The five measures were assessed during a 4 week baseline period, after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, and 1, 6 and 12 months thereafter. Before the start of the study, each patient was administered the MMPI. Split-plot ANOVAs showed that, compared to baseline, at 1 month after the end of treatment and for the 12 month follow-up, the frequency of headache episodes, analgesic consumption and the headache index (but not the duration or intensity of headache episodes) significantly decreased over time; however, no difference between acupuncture and placebo treatment was found. No single MMPI scale predicted the response to treatment, but the mean MMPI profile of acupuncture non-responders showed the presence of 'Conversion V'.
authors.affiliation: Headache Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Milan, MilanItaly.
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tavola
authors.forename: Costanzo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gala
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.forename: Giordano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Invernizzi
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006998:Hypochondriasis / Q000523:psychology; D007046:Hysteria / Q000523:psychology; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged