Effectiveness of Auricular Acupuncture for Migraine

Migraine is a primary headache disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of moderate to severe pain, frequently accompanied by nausea, photophobia, and phonophobia. It ranks as the third most prevalent medical condition globally and is recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of the top ten causes of disability worldwide. Migraine presents substantial public health concerns due to its considerable socioeconomic burden and its detrimental impact on individuals' quality of life. Although pharmacological treatments are widely available, their effectiveness is often limited, with many patients experiencing inadequate symptom relief or adverse side effects. Consequently, there has been growing interest in non-pharmacological approaches, particularly acupuncture and auricular therapy, due to their favorable safety profiles and reported efficacy in alleviating migraine symptoms. Auricular therapy, a microsystem of acupuncture applied to specific points on the external ear, has gained popularity for its simplicity, low risk, and therapeutic potential. Despite its increasing clinical use, robust scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of auricular therapy for migraine remains insufficient, underscoring the need for well-designed clinical studies to validate its therapeutic value.

NCT Number	NCT07024511
Lead Sponsor	Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
Conditions	Migraine
Enrollment	156 participants
Start Date	2025-07-01
Primary Completion	2025-12-31 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-12-31 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-06-17