Acupuncture therapy for chronic pain

Journal/Book: Amer J Acupunct. 1982; 10: 259-262.

Abstract: Forty-four patients with pain of at least one month's duration were randomized into two. groups. In identical situations 22 patients were treated with traditional needle acupuncture and 22 patients were treated with pseudo-acupuncture (the mail of the little finger was used to simulate the prick caused by a needle). One month after, treatment 16 of the .acupuncture patients thought themselves free of symptoms or a lot better, compared to five of the pseudo-acupuncture group (p < 0.001 ). On a horizontal pain scale the reduction of pain as 80 percent in the acupuncture group and 30 percent in the pseudo-acupuncture group. lt seems that pseudo-acupuncture relied on a placebo effect, and that the difference between real acupuncture and placebo acupuncture was what might have been expected as the effect of the peripheral stimulus.

Keyword(s): Clinical trial

Zurück | Weiter