Acupuncture, a technique of inserting and manipulating fine filiform needles into specific points on the body, has been found effective in curing headaches.

Recently it has been found that, even the fake procedures, in which the needles are inserted incorrectly, can be pretty effective.

According to traditional explanations, acupuncture works by tapping into "meridians" or channels which are described in classical and traditional Chinese medical texts, as pathways through which Qi (the vital energy) and "Blood" flow.

In Cochrane Review journal, German scientists reported on 33 separate trials involving more than 6,700 people to see how well the "sham" form of acupuncture worked in case of headaches and migraines.

"Much of the clinical benefit of acupuncture might be due to non-specific needling effects and powerful placebo effects, meaning selection of specific needle points may be less important than many practitioners have traditionally argued," said Klaus Linde, a complementary medicine researcher who headed the reviews.

Researchers found that in the tension headache study, people treated with at least eight weeks of acupuncture suffered from lesser headaches as compared to those who used only pain killers.