SCIENTIFIC DATA

Other scientific references

The effectiveness of cold against pain

Diamond S. and Freitag F. (1986): 71 % of all patients considered the pack effective,

reported the results of a study on the effectiveness of application of a cold pack as an adjunctive therapy for acute headache. 90 patients evenly divided into 3 groups according to headache type - migraine, cluster, and mixed - used standard headache medication for 2 attacks and the standard medication plus application of cold with a reusable, frozen gel pack ("Cold Comfort" by 3M Personal Care Products Division) for 2 attacks. 71 % of all patients and 80 % of migraine patients considered the pack effective, 52 % reported an immediate decrease in pain and 63 % reported an overall decrease in pain. 71 % of the patients intended to use the gel pack in the future.

Brandsson et al. (1996): Evaluated the analgesic effect of an external cooling system

(combination of hydrostatic pressure and cold from iced water) in patients undergoing arthroscopic ACL reconstruction. The investigators found the external cooling system to provide an effective method of obtaining pain relief (80 % of the patients treated with the cooling system were satisfied with the postoperative pain, while it was 90 % in the group treated with intra-articular bupivacaine/morphine in addition to the cooling system and only 30 % in the placebo group).

Curkovic B. et al. (1993) examined the analgesic effect of cold and heat application on

the pain threshold in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The pain threshold was measured before treatment, just after treatment, 10, 30 and 60 min after the procedure on the IV proximal interphalangeal joint of the right hand. 15 patients of the cold treatment group applied ice massage on the fingers of the right hand for 1-3 min. The immediate analgesic effect was shown right after the heat or cold procedure. 10 and 30 min after the treatment the pain threshold was higher only on patients who received cryotherapy.

Brandner B. et al. (1996) evaluated the analgesic effect of a cooling pad when used to

locally cool the wound postoperatively in patients undergoing lumbar spine surgery. 30 patients were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups for postoperative pain relief: Group 1 received morphine and local cooling of the wound, group 2 received morphine alone. The cumulative mean morphine consumption (after 12h and 24h postoperatively) was significantly reduced when local cooling was applied. Patients were also significantly more satisfied with their overall postoperative pain management when cooling therapy was used, as evaluated from a questionnaire filled in 24 h postoperatively.

Effectiveness of massage on the acupuncture against pain

[Howard D., 1976] - A twenty-four month study was conducted with a general

neuropsychiatric outpatient practice of more than 500 patients; more than 200 patients had significant headache symptomatology. The results of the study indicated that Auto-acupressure was able to reduce the pain of migraine and tension headaches, whether acute, subacute, or chronic.

Hu J [1998] studied acupuncture treatment of migraine in Germany.

It can be seen from the therapeutic results of a 80% effective rate in 89 cases of migraine that acupuncture treatment is an effective therapy for "German migraine" without any side effects. Among the points selected for the treatment, there were Feng Chi (GB 20) and Tai Yang (Extra 2).

• Tai yang - Standardized nomenclature: taiyang - EX-NH5 [Bossy J., 1993].
  Body area: on the temporal area of the head.
  This point belong to the 48 extraordinary points chosen in Seoul (1987) according to their clinical efficacy [Bossy J., 1993].
  It's the most effective main point for treatment of migraine and histamine cephalgia headaches [Howard D., 1977].

• Feng Chih - Standardized nomenclature: fengchi - GB20 or VB20 [Bossy J., 1993]
  Chinese meridian location: Gall Bladder 20 [Kespi N., 1989].
  Body area: in the posterior neck area.
  It's the most effective main point for treatment of tension headaches, and also a very effective locus for treating many migraine headaches [Howard D., 1977].

Brust H. - (1998) in "L'art du massage Thai traditionnel" discusses the therapeutic points for treatment of headache and migraine. The two most important points are located on the temples. These massage body areas are situated in the same region than acupressure (or acupuncture) points already mentioned.

Patients with chronic headache were offered treatment by acupuncture or massage with relaxation instead of a change in their prescribed medication [Kevan R. et al., 1997]. They were randomly allocated to either treatment. The acupuncture approach used in this trial is that of Traditional Chinese Medicine (among selected points: Tai yang and Fenh Chih), and massage was given to upper-back, shoulders, neck and head. There was a significant improvement in pain ratings with both treatment types.
Specifically a greater effect was seen in migraine patients treated by massage with relaxation when compared to acupuncture. The authors concluded that non-pharmacological methods of treatment such as acupuncture and massage & relaxation can significantly reduce the severity and duration of both tension-type and migraine headaches.