The drug-free migraine treatment that could offer instant relief to millions

Drug-free pain relief for the millions of people who suffer from debilitating migraines could be a possibility, a study has suggested. 

Suffered by 12 to 15 percent of Americans – roughly 40 million people – migraines are severe, recurring headaches often accompanied by nausea, vomiting and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. 

Despite how prevalent they are, migraine patients often have to trial a laundry list of pills to find relief, many of which come with lingering side effects. 

But researchers in Brazil are pointing to an ancient, drug-free solution: acupuncture. 

Rooted in ancient Chinese medicine, acupuncture involves inserting tiny, extremely thin needles into sensitive nerves tied to the the body’s meridian pathways, which are networks of invisible ‘highways’ that transport energy, or Qi. The needles can be inserted in the face, scalp, limbs, back, chest, glutes and abdomen. 

Acupuncture can be performed all over the body, but researchers examined a particular kind called auriculotherapy, which focuses on the outer portions of the ear. 

The team found that patients receiving auriculotherapy immediately had reduced their pain while suffering a migraine. 

And 30 days later, they continued to have less pain when they suffered from subsequent migraines and had improved their daily quality of life.

The new study was presented earlier this month at the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) Forum, and the full results have not yet been published. 

In the experiment, Bella recruited 68 women with migraines, half of whom received auriculotherapy while the remainder received a placebo that also involved ear stimulation.  

Participants in each group received their respective treatments once a week for eight weeks. 

The researchers then assessed migraine pain and other symptoms at three separate points: before treatment, after treatment and 30 days after treatment ended. 

The team found people who received auriculotherapy had less pain immediately after treatment and for 30 days following. Pain scores decreased from 50.5 to 44.7 in the auriculotherapy group immediately after sessions and to 41 after 30 days. 

This is an 11 percent reduction right after treatment and 18 percent a month later. 

Additionally, the group saw eight to ten percent improvements in quality of life scores.

However, the placebo group, who received another, unspecified form of auricular stimulation – the activation of specific points on the outer ear using needles, pressure, or electrical currents – also saw similar improvements in migraine pain. 

The differences in the placebo group were not statistically significant, suggesting stimulation of the outer ear in general – not auriculotherapy specifically – may reduce migraine pain.

Despite the lack of a clear conclusion, researchers noted that focusing on stimulating the ear in general may pave the way for quick, targeted migraine therapies. 

‘Both groups improved over time, which may suggest that auricular stimulation, even when non-specific, can influence pain-related outcomes,’ lead study author Fernanda Bella, a physical therapist in the Experimental Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Southern Santa Catarina in Brazil, said. 

Along with pain relief, the researchers also found increases in oxygen levels of the women’s prefrontal cortices, the area of the brain that migraines attack and cause altered pain processing. Low oxygen in this area has been shown to worsen migraine symptoms.

‘We identified changes in the average oxygenation levels of the prefrontal cortex over the course of the study, as well as differences between the groups, but the pattern of change over time was not clearly distinct between the two groups,’ Bella said. 

‘However, the results are important because they show that it is possible to objectively monitor aspects of brain function in women with chronic migraine.’

While the new study did not find a difference between auriculotherapy and other forms of auricular stimulation, it adds to a growing body of research suggesting focusing on the ear may reduce migraine pain. 

One 2025 review of 10 studies with nearly 800 patients with migraines found that auricular acupuncture was associated with a reduction in migraine frequency and less pain during attacks than those who received control treatments. 

Additionally, migraine attacks were shorter in people who received auricular acupuncture.  

Recent research published in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine found that 59 patients experienced migraine improvements after receiving transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), which delivers mild electrical impulses to the part of the vagus nerve that runs through the ear. 

The vagus nerve is linked to the brainstem, where migraine pain can originate. 

And a 2023 study in Frontiers in Neurology found auriculotherapy reduced the frequency of migraine patients using triptans, which are medications used to abort migraine attacks.

The auricular area is the outer, visible portion of the ear, which collects sound waves and funnels them into the ear canal. The area contains branches of the trigeminal nerve, a complex network the transmits sensory information like pain from the head and face to the brain. 

Experts believe that stimulating these nerve points may regulate neurotransmitters, release natural painkillers and reduce inflammation linked to migraines. 

Acupuncture also generally carries few side effects, with common reactions including soreness, mild bleeding and bruising around the needle sites. 

Some patients may also experience brief bouts of lightheadedness, fatigue or muscle twitching. 

Following the study’s results, Bella said her team is planning to study auriculotherapy in larger groups of women, as migraines are three times more common in women than men, potentially due hormones like estrogen. 

‘Migraine is a debilitating condition that can have a major impact on people’s lives, especially women’s lives,’ Professor Christina Dalla, chair of the FENS Forum who was not involved in the research, said. 

‘I look forward to seeing the results of auriculotherapy in a larger number of participants. It is important to emphasize that this is a potential treatment that is complementary to existing migraine therapies, and not a replacement for them.’