Auriculotherapy in prevention of migraine attacks: an open randomized trial

• Published in: Frontiers in neurology Vol. 14; p. 1193752
• Main Authors: Michel-Cherqui, Mireille, Ma, Sabrina, d'Ussel, Marguerite, Ebbo, David, Spassova, Antoinette, Chaix-Couturier, Carine, Szekely, Barbara, Fischler, Marc, Lemaire, Nicolas, Le Guen, Morgan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 22.05.2023
• Subjects: auriculotherapy; headache; life quality; migraine; Neurology; pain measurement; randomized controlled trial; auriculotherapy; pain measurement; life quality; migraine; headache; randomized controlled trial
• ISSN: 1664-2295; 1664-2295
• DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1193752

Use of auriculotherapy to prevent episodic migraine pain has seldom been reported. The aim of this open study was to show that three sessions of auriculotherapy, 1 month apart, using semi-permanent needles decrease frequency and intensity of an attack in patients presenting episodic migraine. A total of 90 patients were randomized to the treatment group (AUR group,  = 58) or the control group (C group,  = 32). Four patients dropped out during the study (three in the AUR group and one in the C group). The number of days with migraine and non-migraine headache was similar when the analysis focused on the 3 months of the study or on the difference in each group of this number between the 3 months preceding the inclusion and the 3 months of the study (  = 0.123). AUR group patients had fewer days with non-migraine headache (  = 0.011) and took less Triptans (  = 0.045) than group C. Number of days with migraine, sum of the pain intensities of all migraines and non-migraine headaches, and total number of analgesics taken, other than triptan, were similar between groups. MIDAS score decreased with time in the AUR group while it increased in the C group whether in absolute values (  = 0.035) or as categories (  = 0.037). These contrasted results should lead to further study of the effectiveness of auriculotherapy for the prevention of migraine. : Protocol registered on the Clinicaltrials.gov, website (January 30, 2017, NCT03036761).