Using Science to Make a Point about Acupuncture

tutor

Dear Dr. King,

Since 1964, there are various further researches have been going on in the West, such as the following works as listed below ( for examople):


In 1995, George A. Ulett, M.D., Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Missouri School of Medicine, stated that "devoid of metaphysical thinking, acupuncture becomes a rather simple technique that can be useful as a nondrug method of pain control." He believes that the traditional Chinese variety is primarily a placebo treatment, but electrical stimulation of about 80 acupuncture points has been proven useful for pain control [1].

Two scientists at the University of Heidelberg have developed a "fake needle" that may enable acupuncture researchers to perform better-designed controlled studies. The device is a needle with a blunt tip that moves freely within a copper handle. When the tip touches the skin, the patient feels a sensation similar to that of an acupuncture needle. At the same time, the visible part of the needle moves inside the handle so it appears to shorten as though penetrating the skin. When the device was tested on volunteers, none suspected that it had not penetrated the skin [2].

In 2004, a University of Heidelberg team proved the worth of their "sham acupuncture" technique in a study of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in women who underwent breast or gynecologic surgery. The study involved 220 women who received either acupuncture or the sham procedure at the acupuncture point "Pericardium 6" on the inside of the forearm. No significant difference in PONV or antivomiting medication use was found between the two groups or between the people who received treatment before anesthesia was induced and those who received it while anesthetized [3]. A subgroup analysis found that vomiting was "significantly reduced" among the acupuncture patients, but the authors correctly noted that this finding might be due to studying multiple outcomes. (As the number of different outcome measures increases, so do the odds that a "statistically significant" finding will be spurious.) This study is important because PONV reduction is one of the few alleged benefits of acupuncture supported by reports in scientific journals. However, the other PONV studies claiming to show positive results have not been as tightly controlled..

I just wonder, in China, whether have such similar researches have been initiated or fulfilled , so far? You may wish to comment on some of them, please?

Thanks.

Chenkc


References

[1] Ulett GA. Acupuncture update 1984. Southern Medical Journal 78:233­234, 1985

[2] Streitberger K, Kleinhenz J. Introducing a placebo needle into acupuncture research. Lancet 352:364-365, 1998.

[3] Streitberger K and others. Acupuncture compared to placebo-acupuncture for postoperative nausea and vomiting prophylaxis: A randomised placebo-controlled patient and observer blind trial. Anesthesia 59:142-149, 2004.

tutor

Dear Chenkc,
Nice to meet you here again!
As the research is concerned, there have been many kinds of research on acupuncture in China, and also a great number of research institutions as well.
In personal opinion, it's a little difficutl to do the clinical research on acupuncture, especially on the patients. That's because of the manipulations. Everybody would be different more or less in the needling techniques, even with the same technique but in different points, or with the same technique in the same point but in different patient.
In fact you know, the acupuncture physicians cannot do the same technique exactly the same, some would do much better than the others. So, the effect would be quite different. Or sometimes, the same physician would not be so good in the technique, because of the mental or physical factors.
Also, in my personal opinion, it's not so easy to permorm the so-called sham or fake acupuncture in China, for patients would know well how the real acupuncture is felt, so they would be suspicious with the fake acupuncture. So the research will not well do.
That's my personal opinions.