Treatment of headache pain with auto-acupressure.

Acupuncture techniques, primarily self-administered acupressure, were evaluated as symptomatic treatment for the pain of migraine, histamine cephalgia, and tension headaches. A twenty-four month study was conducted with a general neuropsychiatric outpatient practice of more than 500 patients, seen for more than 5000 outpatient visits; more than 200 patients had significant headache symptomatology. Appropriate pharmacologic, dietary and psychotherapeutic treatments were administered for underlying metabolic, neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The results of the study indicated that acupuncture techniques were reasonably effective in relieving the pain of migraine and tension headaches. Auto-acupressure replaced outpatient prescriptions for analgesics, ergotamine preparations, steroids, propanolol or methysgeride. The value of auto-acupressure was enhanced by its easy availability of application and lack of toxic effects.