Acupuncture treatments to cure migraines have been labelled as little more than a "sham" by health experts.
A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that the traditional Chinese medical procedure could in fact offer nothing more than a "placebo affect" to migraine suffers, reports Reuters Health.
While people with migraines have claimed to get some relief from acupuncture, it was found that "true" acupuncture worked no better than "sham" acupuncture.
A team of researchers, led by Dr Ying Li of the Chendu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China, conducted the test on 480 adults who suffered from migraines at least twice a month.
The participants were assigned randomly into four groups receiving 20 acupuncture sessions in total over four weeks.
Three of the groups were administered "true" acupuncture treatments, with needles inserted into traditional points, while the fourth group were given "sham" acupuncture sessions, where needles are inserted at a surface skin level, or in areas that are not considered traditional acupuncture points.
In the month following testing, participants in all four groups reported some improvement, claiming to suffer headaches on only three days a month, down from six days at the commencement of treatment.
After three months, the "true" acupuncture groups showed small signs of improvement over the "sham" group, but these results were considered as "not clinically relevant" by Dr Li's team.
While some critics have suggested that people may feel better due to anticipated relief, or receiving personal attention from the practitioner, other experts say that the effects of "sham" acupuncture could still have real effects.
Dr Albrecht Molsberger, of Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, who is also the President of the Forschungsgruppe Akupunktur centre, which offers acupuncture training, wrote an editorial published alongside the study, says that the "sham" treatment is not a true placebo.
Traditional acupuncture works through inserting needles into points of the skin to unblock "qi" or flow of energy through the body, and helping to ease pain.
Though it may not follow the principals of traditional Chinese medicine, Dr Molsberger believes that the physiological effects of the needle stimulation may still ease pain and inflammation by triggering the release of certain chemicals in the body.
"The sham acupuncture effect is so strong and long lasting, that this suggests that other factors, like the stimulation of cytokines or endorphins, are important too," he wrote.
Based on overall research, Dr Molsberger maintains that acupuncture "should be an option" for the treatment of migraines.
Generally, acupuncture is considered a low-risk procedure, with minimal side effects. Procedures vary in cost, with sessions typically beginning around $100.
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