Observation on instant analgesic effect of Governor Vessel-regulating and collateral-unblocking acupuncture method for primary headache

Objective

To observe the instant analgesic effect of Governor Vessel-regulating and collateral-unblocking acupuncture method in treating primary headache and to inherit and carry forward the academic achievements of Gao’s acupuncture school in Yanzhao (Hebei Province) area.

Methods

Eighty eligible primary headache patients were randomized into an observation group and a control group following their visiting sequence, 40 patients in each group. The observation group was intervened by Yanzhao Gao’s Governor Vessel-regulating and collateral-unblocking acupuncture, and the control group was intervened by ordinary acupuncture method. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the headache intensity before and after the first treatment session in the two groups, to compare the instant analgesic effect of the two acupuncture methods.

Results

After the first treatment session, the VAS scores dropped significantly in both groups (both P<0.05). The change of VAS score after the initial treatment in the observation group was significantly different from that in the control group (P<0.05). The percentage of patients with headache completely vanished instantly after the first treatment was markedly higher in the observation group than that in the control group (P<0.05).

Conclusion

The two acupuncture methods both can produce a significant instant analgesic effect in treating primary headache, while Yanzhao Gao’s Governor Vessel-regulating and collateral-unblocking acupuncture method is superior to ordinary acupuncture method.