The researchers included randomized controlled trials published in English and Chinese. The included trials compared acupuncture with control groups that received inactive (eg, sham acupuncture) or active (e.g., Chinese herbs and hypnotics and hormone therapy) interventions for relief of menopause-related sleep disturbances. They defined acupuncture as manual acupuncture, acupressure, electroac...

OBJECTIVE To compare active acupuncture with sham acupuncture for the treatment of persistent allergic rhinitis among children. METHODS Subjects with persistent allergic rhinitis were recruited from the pediatric outpatient clinic. They were randomized to receive either active acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Main outcome measures included daily rhinitis scores, symptom-free days, visual anal...

In animal studies, acupuncture has been shown to be sympathoinhibitory, but it is unknown if acupuncture is sympathoinhibitory in humans. Nineteen healthy volunteers underwent mental stress testing pre- and postacupuncture. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), blood pressure, and heart rate during mental stress were compared pre- and postacupuncture. Control acupuncture consisted of acupun...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture in peripheral joint osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS Systematic searches were conducted on Medline, Embase, AMED, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, British Nursing Index, PsychINFO and CAMPAIN until July 2005. Hand-searches included conference proceedings and our own files. There were no restrictions regarding the language of publica...

OBJECTIVES Despite the prevalence of acupuncture treatment in the UK, and the increasing evidence of safety and effectiveness, the information presented to patients by practitioners frequently contains inaccuracies. As knowledge of treatment affects both patient decision-making and treatment outcomes, this study aimed to establish what is known about acupuncture in a sample of people who had, a...

OBJECTIVE To ascertain the incidence of acupuncture claims and the characteristics of patients claiming for acupuncture. DESIGN Secondary analysis of Health Insurance Commission data on claims for acupuncture performed by a medical practitioner. PARTICIPANTS A summary of all Medicare acupuncture claims for financial years 1984-85 to 1996-97 and a random sample of patients claiming a Medicar...

BACKGROUND Acupuncture is commonly used to treat migraine. We assessed the efficacy of acupuncture at migraine-specific acupuncture points compared with other acupuncture points and sham acupuncture. METHODS We performed a multicentre, single-blind randomized controlled trial. In total, 480 patients with migraine were randomly assigned to one of four groups (Shaoyang-specific acupuncture, Sha...

Almost one in ten Australians has received acupuncture treatment by acupuncturists and/or medical doctors in private clinics. The majority of Australian health insurance funds offer rebates for acupuncture. Statutory regulations for acupuncture have been implemented in the State of Victoria, Australia. Six acupuncture degree courses have been approved by the Chinese Medicine Registration Board ...

1. What is the benefit of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic nonspecific lower back pain? a. The performance of acupuncture combined with other conservative therapies is not more beneficial than applying the same therapies in isolation b. Real acupuncture (deep insertion into acupoints) is superior to sham acupuncture (superficial insertion at sites away from the acupoints) c. Acupuncture ...

INTRODUCTION Recent guidelines from NICE are encouraging the incorporation of acupuncture into pain management strategies within the NHS.1 NHS information on acupuncture suggests it has many benefi ts2 and increasingly GP practices are offering acupuncture within their practice or referring patients for acupuncture.3 However, there is little research into patient’s knowledge, opinions and exper...