Laser Acupuncture Side Effects: Headache, Dizziness, and Nausea

Laser Acupuncture Side Effects. Did you know that headaches can be a side effect of laser acupuncture? At the same time however, there is some evidence that laser acupuncture can be an effective alternative treatment for headaches. Interesting, huh?

laser acupuncture side effects - headache

But let’s first talk about laser acupuncture side effects. According to a position statement issued by the Australian Medical Acupuncture College, the following side effects could result from laser acupuncture:

  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Fainting
  • Nausea
  • Tiredness
  • Increased pain on treatment side
  • Pain in other parts of the body

Have any of you experienced any of the above from your own laser acupuncture treatment. By the way, do bear in mind that the above list is not exclusive. There may be other laser acupuncture side effects depending on the patient and his/her condition. [Related Post: Laser Acupuncture for Weight Loss]

Now, as already mentioned, laser acupuncture can also be a treatment modality for headaches. For instance, a 2005 study published by the British Medical Acupuncture Society (authored by Ebneshahidi NS, Heshmatipour M, Moghaddami A, and Eghtesadi-Araghi P.) “suggests that laser acupuncture may be an effective treatment for chronic tension-type headache”.

Specifically, there was a significant difference in headache intensity, median duration of attacks, and median number of days with headache per month between those treated with laser acupuncture and their placebo group counterparts.

Similarly, a 2008 study by Sven Gottschling found that laser acupuncture is better in treating children with headaches. Here’s what the authors found: “We conclude that laser acupuncture can provide a significant benefit for children with headache with active laser treatment being clearly more effective than placebo laser treatment.”

laser acupuncture side effects - headache

So there you have it. We will update this post in the future if we find out more studies regarding the effectiveness of laser acupuncture in treating headaches.

RESOURCES:
The effects of laser acupuncture on chronictension headache – a randomised controlled trial
By Narges Sadat Ebneshahidi, Mojtaba Heshmatipour, Alireza Moghaddami, Payam Eghtesadi-Araghi

Laser acupuncture in children with headache: A double-blind, randomized, bicenter, placebo-controlled trial
Sven Gottschlinga, Sascha Meyerb, Inessa Gribovac, Ludwig Distlerc, Jens Berrangd, Ludwig Gortnerb, Norbert Grafa, M. Ghiath Shamdeene