Best Auricular Acupuncture Areas for Unilateral Migraines

Acupuncture is an often used and effective option for the non pharmaceutical treatment of migraines.  There are a host of options when treating patients with migraines with regards to the theory underlying your treatment point selections to the actual techniques used.  

Auricular acupuncture (a microsystem of acupuncture using points in the ear to treat a broad range of conditions) is an often used modality as it is easy to apply and is effective for a number of conditions including problems in the head and brain.  A study was recently performed by researchers at the Women's Headache Center at the University of Turin in Italy looking at the best auricular zones for the treatment of unilateral migraine pain in women.

A small initial study involving 15 women experiencing migraine headaches found that the most effective areas were the antero-internal part of the antitragus, the anterior part of the lobe and the upper auricular concha ipsilateral to the side of pain.  With auricular needle stimulation in these areas pain was controlled within 30 minutes for a period of 24 hours (or more, the study concluded after 24 hours).