Acupuncture useful, but overall of little benefit, study shows

Data indicates treatment is more than a placebo, but differences between true and sham acupuncture are modestAcupuncture could be a useful treatment in some cases of chronic pain, according to a study that pooled the results of 29 clinical trials on almost 18,000 people. But the overall benefits were small, compared with no acupuncture or sham acupuncture.The traditional Chinese treatment involves inserting needles into specific points in the body. Andrew J Vickers of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York led a team of scientists who collated data from previously published, randomised controlled trials on 17,922 patients from the US, UK, Germany, Spain and Swedenwith back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache and shoulder pain. "We found acupuncture to be superior to both no-acupuncture control and sham acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain," wrote Vickers in the September 10 edition ofthe Archives of Internal Medicine. "Although the data indicate that acupuncture is more than a placebo, the differences between true and sham acupuncture are relatively modest, suggesting that factors in addition to the specific effects of needling are important contributors to therapeutic effects."Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Medical research Alternative medicine Life and style US news World news Science UK news Acupuncture Source Type: news