title: The efficacy of wet-cupping in the treatment of tension and migraine headache.
abstract: Wet-cupping is an ancient medical technique still used in several contemporary societies, but little empirical study has been devoted to test its efficacy to treat tension and migraine headache. Using a pre-post research design, 70 patients with chronic tension or migraine headache were treated with wet-cupping. Three primary outcome measures were considered at the baseline and 3 months following treatment: headache severity, days of headache per month, and use of medication. Results suggest that, compared to the baseline, mean headache severity decreased by 66% following wet-cupping treatment. Treated patients also experienced the equivalent of 12.6 fewer days of headache per month. We conclude that wet-cupping leads to clinical relevant benefits for primary care patients with headache. Possible mechanisms of wet-cupping's efficacy, as well as directions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran. ahmadiar1012@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Schwebel
authors.forename: Mansour
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rezaei
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013396:Suction; D018781:Tension-Type Headache / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome