Researchers have discovered that acupuncture can stop headaches, but ‘fake’ treatments - where needles are incorrectly inserted - can work almost as well.

Acupuncture is a therapy in which thin needles are inserted into the skin at defined points. It originated in China and has been used to treat a range of conditions, from depression and anxiety to fertility-related problems.

According to the German study, which reviewed 33 trials involving more than 6,700 people, acupuncture is an effective treatment for the prevention of headaches and migraines.

However, the results may stem more from people’s belief in the technique rather than the selection of specific needle points, said lead researcher, Klaus Linde, from the Technical University of Munich.

Overall, patients treated with acupuncture suffered fewer headaches compared to those who were given only pain killers. However in a study on migraine, while acupuncture was superior to proven prophylactic drug treatments, faked treatments were no less effective.

In a study on tension headaches, true acupuncture was slightly more effective than faked treatments.

"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,” Mr Linde said.

He added that the results indicate that acupuncture could be used as an alternative for those patients who prefer not to use drug treatments, and additionally may result in fewer side effects. However more research is still required.

"Doctors need to know how long improvements associated with acupuncture will last and whether better trained acupuncturists really achieve better results than those with basic training only."

The results were published in the Cochrane Review journal.