TY - JOUR
T1 - Treating the root cause
T2 - acupuncture for the treatment of migraine, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia
AU - Hammes, Amber E.
AU - Wahner-Roedler, Dietlind L.
AU - Bauer, Brent A.
PY - 2014/7/1
Y1 - 2014/7/1
N2 - This case report describes the effectiveness of a single intervention, acupuncture, for relieving or abolishing severe migraines, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia and, thus, markedly improving quality of life. A 49-year-old woman was referred for acupuncture treatment of her daily migraines, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia. The patient had received polypharmacy treatment for these conditions for several years but had rather limited relief of her symptoms. The patient received 10 weekly or biweekly acupuncture treatments over three months. Her migraines reduced in frequency and intensity after her first acupuncture treatment, and she was able to discontinue use of her migraine medications after her eighth treatment. Subsequently, her menopausal vasomotor symptoms and chronic insomnia resolved. This case illustrates successful treatment of the symptoms of three medical conditions with a single complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine procedure, namely, acupuncture, one of the key elements of traditional Chinese medicine. The patient's medical problems had been treated for years with a multitude of medications, which led to adverse effects and little symptomatic improvement. Providers of complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine and providers practicing allopathic medicine should seek treatment options for their patients that promise to be helpful for various symptoms or diseases, that is, treating the root cause rather than using polypharmacy for various symptoms.
AB - This case report describes the effectiveness of a single intervention, acupuncture, for relieving or abolishing severe migraines, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia and, thus, markedly improving quality of life. A 49-year-old woman was referred for acupuncture treatment of her daily migraines, menopausal vasomotor symptoms, and chronic insomnia. The patient had received polypharmacy treatment for these conditions for several years but had rather limited relief of her symptoms. The patient received 10 weekly or biweekly acupuncture treatments over three months. Her migraines reduced in frequency and intensity after her first acupuncture treatment, and she was able to discontinue use of her migraine medications after her eighth treatment. Subsequently, her menopausal vasomotor symptoms and chronic insomnia resolved. This case illustrates successful treatment of the symptoms of three medical conditions with a single complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine procedure, namely, acupuncture, one of the key elements of traditional Chinese medicine. The patient's medical problems had been treated for years with a multitude of medications, which led to adverse effects and little symptomatic improvement. Providers of complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine and providers practicing allopathic medicine should seek treatment options for their patients that promise to be helpful for various symptoms or diseases, that is, treating the root cause rather than using polypharmacy for various symptoms.
KW - Alternative medicine
KW - integrative medicine
KW - medicine
KW - natural
KW - traditional Chinese
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84927170166&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84927170166&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.explore.2014.04.001
DO - 10.1016/j.explore.2014.04.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 25037670
SN - 1878-7541
VL - 10
SP - 256
EP - 259
JO - Explore (New York, N.Y.)
JF - Explore (New York, N.Y.)
IS - 4
ER -