Primary studies included in this systematic review

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34 articles (34 References) Revert Studify

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A multicenter, randomized, controlled trial testing the effects of acupuncture on allergic rhinitis.

Journal Allergy
Year 2013
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This article is included in 4 Systematic reviews Systematic reviews (4 references)

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BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment for allergic rhinitis. METHODS: This study was a multicenter, randomized, parallel-controlled study. Participants were randomized to either the active acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or waitlist groups. The active and sham acupuncture groups received acupuncture treatment three times per week for 4 weeks. In the sham group, minimal acupuncture at nonacupuncture points was used. The waitlist group did not receive any acupuncture treatment. RESULTS: Of the 238 participants, 97, 94, and 47 individuals were assigned to the active acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and waitlist group, respectively. After the treatment, the difference in the total nasal symptom score (TNSS) was significantly reduced in the active acupuncture group compared with the sham acupuncture (difference: -1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.96, -0.09, P = 0.03) and waitlist (difference: -2.49, 95% CI: -3.68, -1.29, P < 0.0001). The active acupuncture group exhibited a significant change in the total non-nasal symptom score (TNNSS) compared with the waitlist (difference: -0.78, 95% CI: -1.22, -0.34, P = 0.0002), but not the sham acupuncture group (difference; 0.15, 95% CI: -0.21, 0.5, P = 0.56). Both active and sham acupuncture treatments resulted in significant improvements in TNSS and TNNSS compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: Active acupuncture showed a significantly greater effect on symptoms of allergic rhinitis than either sham acupuncture or no active treatment. The symptoms of allergic rhinitis decreased significantly after treatment in the both acupuncture and sham acupuncture groups. Acupuncture appears to be an effective and safe treatment for allergic rhinitis.

Primary study

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Effectiveness of dry needling for the treatment of temporomandibular myofascial pain: A double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled study.

Journal Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation
Year 2012
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This article is included in 7 Systematic reviews Systematic reviews (7 references)

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Background and objectives: To test the hypothesis that dry needling is more effective than sham dry needling in relieving myofascial pain of the temporomandibular muscles. Material and method: Fifty-two subjects with established myofascial trigger points were randomized into two groups; study group (N: 26) and placebo group (N: 26). Dry needling was applied using acupuncture needles. Sham dry needling was applied to the placebo group. Pain pressure threshold was measured with pressure algometry, pain intensity was rated using a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) and the unassisted jaw opening without pain measurement was performed. Evaluations were done by a physician blinded to the data. RESULTS: Of 52 patients assigned, 50 completed the study. Mean algometric values were significantly higher in the study group when compared to the placebo group (p values being less than 0.05). There were no differences between the two groups in terms of VAS and unassisted jaw-opening without pain values. CONCLUSION: Dry needling appears to be an effective treatment method in relieving the pain and tenderness of myofascial trigger points.

Primary study

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Acupuncture in patients with acute low back pain: a multicentre randomised controlled clinical trial.

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Journal Pain
Year 2012
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This article is included in 5 Systematic reviews Systematic reviews (5 references) 1 Broad synthesis Broad syntheses (1 reference)

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Reviews of the efficacy of acupuncture as a treatment for acute low back pain have concluded that there is insufficient evidence for its efficacy and that more research is needed to evaluate it. A multicentre randomized controlled trial was conducted at 4 primary-care centres in Spain to evaluate the effects of acupuncture in patients with acute nonspecific low back pain in the context of primary care. A total of 275 patients with nonspecific acute low back pain (diagnosed by their general practitioner) were recruited and assigned randomly to 4 different groups: conventional treatment either alone or complemented by 5 sessions over a 2-week period of true acupuncture, sham acupuncture, or placebo acupuncture per patient. Patients were treated from February 2006 to January 2008. The primary outcome was the reduction in Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire scores of 35% or more after 2weeks' treatment. The patients in the 3 types of acupuncture groups were blinded to the treatments, but those who received conventional treatment alone were not. In the analysis adjusted for the total sample (true acupuncture relative risk 5.04, 95% confidence interval 2.24-11.32; sham acupuncture relative risk 5.02, 95% confidence interval 2.26-11.16; placebo acupuncture relative risk 2.57 95% confidence interval 1.21-5.46), as well as for the subsample of occupationally active patients, all 3 modalities of acupuncture were better than conventional treatment alone, but there was no difference among the 3 acupuncture modalities, which implies that true acupuncture is not better than sham or placebo acupuncture.

Primary study

Unclassified

Acupuncture for hot flushes in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women: a randomised, sham-controlled trial.

Journal Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
Year 2011
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This article is included in 7 Systematic reviews Systematic reviews (7 references)

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Objectives To determine the effect of acupuncture in treating hot flushes in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women. Methods The study was a randomised single-blind sham-controlled clinical trial. Perimenopausal or postmenopausal women with moderate or severe hot flushes were randomised to receive real or sham acupuncture. Both groups underwent a 4-week run-in period before the treatment. The real acupuncture group received 11 acupuncture treatments for 7 weeks, and the control group underwent sham acupuncture on non-acupuncture points during the same period. Both groups were followed for 8 weeks after the end of treatment period. Changes from baseline in the hot flush scores at week 7, measured by multiplying the hot flush frequency and severity, were the primary outcome. Hot flush frequency, severity and menopause-related symptoms measured with the Menopause Rating Scale Questionnaire were regarded as secondary outcomes. Results 54 participants were randomised into the real acupuncture group (n=27) and the sham acupuncture group (n=27). The mean change in hot flush scores was -6.4±5.2 in the real acupuncture group and -5.6±9.2 in the sham group at week 7 from values at the start of the acupuncture treatment (10.0±8.1 vs 11.7±12.6), respectively (p=0.0810). No serious adverse events were observed during the whole study period. Conclusions Compared to sham acupuncture, acupuncture failed to show significantly different effects on the hot flush scores but showed partial benefits on the hot flush severity. Further consideration is needed to develop appropriate strategies for distinguishing non-specific effects from observed overall effectiveness of acupuncture for hot flushes. Whether acupuncture has point-specific effects for hot flushes should be also considered in designing future researches.

Primary study

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Effect of acupuncture for gastrointestinal activity differs depending on the pathophysiological condition.

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Authors Oh DS , Kang W , Choi SM , Son CG
Journal Acupuncture in medicine : journal of the British Medical Acupuncture Society
Year 2011
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This article is included in 1 Systematic review Systematic reviews (1 reference)

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Acupuncture to Danzhong but not to Zhongting increases the cardiac vagal component of heart rate variability.

Journal Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical
Year 2011
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This article is included in 2 Systematic reviews Systematic reviews (2 references)

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There is currently no convincing evidence that acupuncture has any specific effects on autonomic nervous function as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV). We examined whether the stimulation of neighboring acupunctural points, Danzhong (CV17) and Zhongting (CV16) on the anterior median line of the thorax, induced different effects on HRV. In 14 healthy males, epifascial acupunctural stimulation (single instantaneous needle stimulation on the fascial surface without producing De-Qi sensation) was performed at CV17 and CV16 on different days in a clinical study utilizing a cross-over design. We found that the stimulation of CV17, but not of CV16, decreased the heart rate (P=0.01, repeated measures ANOVA) and increased the power of the high-frequency component of the HRV, an index of cardiac vagal activity (P=0.01). The low-frequency to high-frequency ratio, an index of sympathetic activity showed no significant changes for either point. Our observations could not be explained as either nonspecific or psychological/placebo effects of needle stimulation. This study provides strong evidence for the presence of a specific acupunctural point that causes the modulation of cardiac autonomic function.

Primary study

Unclassified

Immediate effect of acupuncture at Sanyinjiao (SP6) and Xuanzhong (GB39) on Uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea

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Authors Yu YP , Ma LX , Ma YX , Ma YX , Liu YQ , Liu CZ , Xie JP , Gao SZ , Zhu J
Journal Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)
Year 2010
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This article is included in 1 Systematic review Systematic reviews (1 reference)

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Objective: The objective of this study was to compare immediate effect of acupuncture at SP6 on uterine arterial blood flow in primary dysmenorrhea with that of GB39. Design: This was a prospective, randomized clinical trial. Setting: Sixty-six (66) patients with primary dysmenorrhea from the Affiliated Hospital of Shangdong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were recruited. Interventions: The SP6 group (n = 32) was treated with manual acupuncture at bilateral SP6 for 5 minutes after obtaining needling sensation (de qi) during the period of menstrual pain, whereas the control group (n = 34) was needled at GB39 of both sides for 5 minutes when they suffered menstrual pain. Main outcome measures: Differences in pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), and ratio of systolic peak and diastolic peak (A/B) in uterine arteries were the main outcome measures. Results: Highly significant reductions were observed in the SP6 treatment group 5 minutes after treatment in menstrual pain scores (8.17 ± 1.90 versus 11.20 ± 2.66; p < 0.001), values of PI (1.75 ± 0.48 versus 2.32 ± 0.70; p < 0.001), RI (0.72 ± 0.11 versus 0.78 ± 0.07; p < 0.001), and A/B (4.33 ± 1.37 versus 5.23 ± 1.67; p < 0.001). Compared with the GB39 control group, patients in the SP6 treatment group showed significant reductions in 5 minutes after treatment in the changes of menstrual pain scores (3.03 ± 2.36 versus 0.00 ± 0.29; p < 0.001), values of PI (0.57 ± 0.42 versus -0.10 ± 0.58; p < 0.001), RI (0.06 ± 0.08 versus -0.03 ± 0.15; p < 0.01), and A/B (0.90 ± 0.87 versus 0.23 ± 1.02; p < 0.01). There were no significant changes in menstrual pain scores, values of PI, RI, or A/B before and after treatment in the GB39 control group (p > 0.05). No adverse events from treatment were reported. Conclusions: This study suggests that needling at SP6 can immediately improve uterine arterial blood flow of patients with primary dysmenorrhea, while GB39 does not have these effects. © Copyright 2010, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 2010.

Primary study

Unclassified

German Randomized Acupuncture Trial for chronic shoulder pain (GRASP) - a pragmatic, controlled, patient-blinded, multi-centre trial in an outpatient care environment.

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Journal Pain
Year 2010
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This article is included in 3 Systematic reviews Systematic reviews (3 references)

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<b>Unlabelled: </b>The German Randomized Acupuncture Trial for chronic shoulder pain (GRASP) comprised 424 outpatients with chronic shoulder pain (CSP) &gt; or =6 weeks and an average pain score of VAS &gt; or =50 mm, who were randomly assigned to receive Chinese acupuncture (verum), sham acupuncture (sham) or conventional conservative orthopaedic treatment (COT). The patients were blinded to the type of acupuncture and treated by 31 office-based orthopaedists trained in acupuncture; all received 15 treatments over 6 weeks. The 50% responder rate for pain was measured on a VAS 3 months after the end of treatment (primary endpoint) and directly after the end of the treatment (secondary endpoint).<b>RESULTS: </b>In the ITT (n=424) analysis, percentages of responders for the primary endpoint were verum 65% (95% CI 56-74%) (n=100), sham 24% (95% CI 9-39%) (n=32), and COT 37% (95% CI 24-50%) (n=50); secondary endpoint: verum 68% (95% CI 58-77%) (n=92), sham 40% (95% CI 27-53%) (n=53), and COT 28% (95% CI 14-42%) (n=38). The results are significant for verum over sham and verum over COT (p&lt;0.01) for both the primary and secondary endpoints. The PPP analysis of the primary (n=308) and secondary endpoints (n=360) yields similar responder results for verum over sham and verum over COT (p&lt;0.01). Descriptive statistics showed greater improvement of shoulder mobility (abduction and arm-above-head test) for the verum group versus the control group immediately after treatment and after 3 months. The trial indicates that Chinese acupuncture is an effective alternative to conventional orthopaedic treatment for CSP.

Primary study

Unclassified

Influence of acupuncture on type i hypersensitivity itch and the wheal and flare response in adults with atopic eczema - A blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial

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Journal Allergy
Year 2010
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This article is included in 2 Systematic reviews Systematic reviews (2 references)

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Background: Itch is a major symptom of allergic skin disease. Acupuncture has been shown to exhibit a significant effect on histamine-induced itch in healthy volunteers. We investigated the effect of acupuncture on type I hypersensitivity itch and skin reaction in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial. Methods: An allergen stimulus (house dust mite or grass pollen skin prick) was applied to 30 patients with atopic eczema before (direct effect) and after (preventive effect) two experimental approaches or control observation: acupuncture at points Quchi and Xuehai [verum acupuncture (VA), dominant side], 'placebo-point' acupuncture (PA, dominant side), no acupuncture (NA). Itch intensity was recorded on a visual analogue scale. After 10 min, wheal and flare size and skin perfusion (via LASER-Doppler) were measured at the stimulus site, and the validated Eppendorf Itch Questionnaire (EIQ) was answered. Results: Mean itch intensity was significantly lower in VA (35.7 ± 6.4) compared to NA (45.9 ± 7.8) and PA (40.4 ± 5.8) regarding the direct effect; and significantly lower in VA (34.3 ± 7.1) and PA (37.8 ± 5.6) compared to NA (44.6 ± 6.2) regarding the preventive effect. In the preventive approach, mean wheal and flare size were significantly smaller in VA (0.38 ± 0.12 cm 2/8.1 ± 2.0 cm2) compared to PA (0.54 ± 0.13 cm2/13.5 ± 2.8 cm2) and NA (0.73 ± 0.28 cm2/15.1 ± 4.1 cm2), and mean perfusion in VA (72.4 ± 10.7) compared to NA (84.1 ± 10.7). Mean EIQ ratings were significantly lower in VA compared to NA and PA in the treatment approach; and significantly lower in VA and PA compared to NA in the preventive approach. Conclusions: Acupuncture at the correct points showed a significant reduction in type I hypersensitivity itch in patients with atopic eczema. With time the preventive point-specific effect diminished with regard to subjective itch sensation, whereas it increased in suppressing skin-prick reactions. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Primary study

Unclassified

Is acupuncture in addition to conventional medicine effective as pain treatment for endometriosis? A randomised controlled cross-over trial.

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Journal European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology
Year 2010
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This article is included in 2 Systematic reviews Systematic reviews (2 references)

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OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to examine whether acupuncture is an effective additional pain treatment for endometriosis. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred and one women aged 20-40 years participated and were randomised into two groups, each receiving two units of 10 acupuncture treatments, twice a week over a period of five weeks. Group 1 (n = 47) received verum-acupuncture during the first series, and group 2 (n = 54) received non-specific acupuncture. After the first unit of 10 treatments, an observation period of at least two menstruation cycles was set, followed by a second unit, according to a cross-over design. Prior to the study (during a two-week run-in period) the patients' actual pain intensity was surveyed. Throughout the study period, participants were asked to keep a 'pain protocol', in which they defined and recorded their pain according to the 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: Eighty-three out of a total of 101 patients finished the study. Group 1 showed a significant reduction of pain intensity after the first 10 treatments. In comparison, group 2 showed significant pain relief only after the cross-over. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture treatment on specific acupuncture points appears to be an effective pain treatment for endometriosis, but this has to be confirmed in further study.