Why Western protocols are unsuitable for assessing the effects of acupuncture: the need for an evaluation methodology specific to the investigation of acupuncture

Journal/Book: Am J Acupunct. 1991; 19 (2): 153-157.

Abstract: Presented at the Fifth International Congress of Chinese Medicine and First International Congress of Qi Gong at the University of California, Berkeley, on June 20, 1990, this paper emphasizes the danger of assessing the efficacy of acupuncture by either using the conventional Western methodology developed for evaluating drugs, or attempting to adapt standardized acupuncture protocols to a Western nosology. Two case studies illustrate the point. The author concludes with an urgent call to acupuncture practitioners worldwide to develop their own evaluation methodology, in order to insure the continued credibility of the acupuncture profession.

Keyword(s): Acupuncture

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