Does the choice of placebo determine the results of clinical studies on acupuncture? A meta-analysis of 100 clinical trials

Author(s): Araujo, M. S.

Journal/Book: Forsch Komplementärmed. 1998; 5(suppl 1): 8-11.

Abstract: Objective: To establish whether the choice of the placebo treatment used may influence the outcomes of clinical trials on acupuncture or not. Design: A meta- analysis of outcomes according to the choice of the placebo. Attention was focused on the placebo design of 117 clinical, controlled trials found after an extensive search. Studies comparing acupuncture to no treatment or a reference treatment were discarded from the analysis. A set of 90 publications could be classified into one of: two groups: i) Clinical studies with sham acupuncture as placebo, which consists of needling outside the meridian, but near to classical acupoints. This group of 45 trials was classified as energet the design and the way of performing the placebo procedure determine the outcome, i.e. success or failure of a clinical trial in obtaining differences among the patients groups, in case they actually exist.

Keyword(s): acu. cr. meta. placebo

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