RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Acupuncture for migraine prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial JF Canadian Medical Association Journal JO CMAJ FD Canadian Medical Association SP 401 OP 410 DO 10.1503/cmaj.110551 VO 184 IS 4 A1 Ying Li A1 Hui Zheng A1 Claudia M. Witt A1 Stephanie Roll A1 Shu-guang Yu A1 Jie Yan A1 Guo-jie Sun A1 Ling Zhao A1 Wen-jing Huang A1 Xiao-rong Chang A1 Hong-xing Zhang A1 De-jun Wang A1 Lei Lan A1 Ran Zou A1 Fan-rong Liang YR 2012 UL http://www.cmaj.ca/content/184/4/401.abstract AB Background: Acupuncture is commonly used to treat migraine. We assessed the efficacy of acupuncture at migraine-specific acupuncture points compared with other acupuncture points and sham acupuncture.Methods: We performed a multicentre, single-blind randomized controlled trial. In total, 480 patients with migraine were randomly assigned to one of four groups (Shaoyang-specific acupuncture, Shaoyang-nonspecific acupuncture, Yangming-specific acupuncture or sham acupuncture [control]). All groups received 20 treatments, which included electrical stimulation, over a period of four weeks. The primary outcome was the number of days with a migraine experienced during weeks 5–8 after randomization. Our secondary outcomes included the frequency of migraine attack, migraine intensity and migraine-specific quality of life.Results: Compared with patients in the control group, patients in the acupuncture groups reported fewer days with a migraine during weeks 5–8, however the differences between treatments were not significant (p > 0.05). There was a significant reduction in the number of days with a migraine during weeks 13–16 in all acupuncture groups compared with control (Shaoyang-specific acupuncture v. control: difference –1.06 [95% confidence interval (CI) –1.77 to –0.5], p = 0.003; Shaoyang-nonspecific acupuncture v. control: difference –1.22 [95% CI –1.92 to –0.52], p < 0.001; Yangming-specific acupuncture v. control: difference –0.91 [95% CI –1.61 to –0.21], p = 0.011). We found that there was a significant, but not clinically relevant, benefit for almost all secondary outcomes in the three acupuncture groups compared with the control group. We found no relevant differences between the three acupuncture groups.Interpretation: Acupuncture tested appeared to have a clinically minor effect on migraine prophylaxis compared with sham acupuncture.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00599586See related commentary by Molsberger and colleagues on page 391 and at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.112032 and research article by Smelt and colleagues on page E224 and at www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.110908