Key clinical point: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) did not improve migraine frequency more than headache education as both groups had similar decreases; however, mindfulness meditation may help treat the total burden of migraine.
Major finding: Decrease in headache frequency did not differ between the 2 groups (MBSR, −2.0 vs headache education, −2.4; P = .52). The MBSR vs. headache education group had significantly greater improvements at 36 weeks in disability ( P less than .001), quality of life ( P =.01), self-efficacy ( P = .04), pain catastrophizing ( P less than .001), depression scores ( P =.008), decrease in pain intensity ( P =.004), and decrease in pain unpleasantness ( P =.005).
Study details: In this double-blinded, randomized clinical trial, 89 adults with a history of migraine were assigned to receive training in MBSR/yoga (n=45) or health education instruction on headaches, pathophysiology, triggers, stress, and treatment approaches (n=44).
Disclosures: This study was funded by an American Pain Society Grant from the Sharon S. Keller Chronic Pain Research Program and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. RE Wells and F Zeidan reported grants from the National Institutes of Health. TT Houle reported receiving personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, and StatReviewer. The remaining authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Wells RE et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Dec 14. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.7090.