Objective: To observe the effect of otopoint-needle embedment on migraine and to explore its underlying mechanism.
Methods: Ninety-two migraine outpatients were equally randomized into acupuncture group and medication group. For patients of the acupuncture group, one sterilized intradermal needle was inserted into E (MA-AT)-point and advanced toward Nie (temple-point, MA-AT), then another inserted into Nie (Temple-point, MA-AT) and advanced toward Zhen (occipus-point, MA-AT), followed by fixing the needles with a piece of adhesive-tape respectively, combined with Wei (stomach-point, MA-IC), Jiaogan (sympathesis-point, MA-AH 7) for migraine patients with nausea and vomiting, and with Yan (eye-point, MA-L 1) for those with phengophobia. Plasma serotonin (5-HT) contents before and after the treatment were detected by fluorescence spectrophotometry.
Results: In comparison with the pre-treatment, the synthetic scores of two groups one month and 6 months after the treatment were decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The integrative sores of the acupuncture group one month and 6 months after the treatment were significantly lower than those of the medication group (P < 0.01). The total effective rates of recent efficacy and long-term efficacy of the acupuncture group were 82.61% (38/46) and 83.72% (36/43) respectively, being significantly higher than those [67.39% (31/46) and 57.14% (24/42)] of the medication group. After the treatment, plasma 5-HT content of the acupuncture group was remarkablely higher than that of the medication group (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Otopoint-needle implant can effectively relieve headache in migraine patients and upregulate plasma 5-HT level.