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Acupuncture — Research Issues</p>
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<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>Multiple acupuncture techniques (bilateral auricular, TCM, neuro-electric, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French) have different treatment protocols.</td></tr></table>
<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>Finding a true placebo control, not sham acupuncture, is difficult as there may no neutral or inactive sites. </td></tr></table>
<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>It is difficult to blind a therapist with the use of incorrect point locations.</td></tr></table>
<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>There are many ways to treat the same condition. The diagnostic process differs from western biomedicine and doesn’t correlate precisely with biomedical diagnostic categories. Acupuncture treatment is often individualized. Clinical trials call for a standardized treatment protocol where everyone is treated with the same set of acupuncture points.</td></tr></table>
<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>Because there is a general systemic response (a general reaction in the body) resulting from sticking needles into the body, you may get a response even if there is no validity to acupuncture theory.</td></tr></table>
<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>Acupuncture research has been flawed by inadequate treatment periods being studied. </td></tr></table>
<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>Treatment guidelines involving the number of treatments vary depending on the condition (usually 6-8 is the minimum and up to 20 is often recommended). These can be given daily, every other day, twice a week, weekly, etc. All of these variations can affect the effectiveness of the acupuncture treatment.</td></tr></table>
<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>The number of points used in a treatment can vary. Even acupuncturists trained in the same methods may choose a different total number of points as adequate treatment, changing the specific points considered important for the treatment of a medical condition. </td></tr></table>
<table border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0'><tr><td width='12' valign='top' align='center' height='2'><font face='Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif' size='2' color='#FFFFFF'><img src='../images/bullet.gif' width='5' height='5' vspace='4'></font></td><td width='400' class='bullet'>Questions to be answered by research as per National Institutes of Health guidelines:</td></tr></table>
<p>- Is there sufficient evidence to conclude that acupuncture is more effective than placebo?</p>
<p>- Does acupuncture perform as well as standard care?</p>
<p>- Is acupuncture an effective adjunctive treatment to standard care?</p>
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<p class="timestamp">Content last modified on Apr 1, 2003</p>
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