Acupuncture in the treatment of psychogenic erectile dysfunction: first results of a prospective randomized placebo-controlled study

Abstract

In a prospective study, we investigated the potentially curative effect of acupuncture in patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction (pED). A total of 22 patients with pED were randomized into two groups. They were either treated with acupunture specific against ED (treatment group) or acupuncture specific against headache (placebo group). Nonresponders of the placebo group were crossed over to the treatment group. Prior to acupuncture, serum sexual hormone levels, IIEF score, nocturnal penile tumescence testing for three nights (Rigiscan) and the erectile response to 50 mg sildenafil were evaluated. Out of 21 patients, 20 completed the study, including 10 patients after crossover. A satisfactory response was achieved in 68.4% of the treatment group and in 9% of the placebo group (P ¼ 0.0017). Another 21.05% of the pateints had improved errections, that is, sufficient rigidity under simultaneous treatment with 50 gm sildenafil. The results of our pilot study indicate that acupuncture can be an effective treatment option in more than two-thirds of patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction.

Issues of design and statistical analysis in controlled clinical acupuncture trials: an analysis of English‐language reports from Western journals

“…Accordingly, 108 identified reports 7–114qualified for review and analysis.They encompass a wide range of condi‐tions/symptoms, including: osteoarthritis/knee pain, migraine, low back pain, pelvic pain, hot flashes, labor pain and labor initiation, analgesic and sedative ef‐fects in surgery/cancer pain, tension‐type headache, shoulder/arm pain, embryo transfer, irritable bowel syndrome, allergic rhinitis, depression, fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, insomnia, inflammatory breast in lactating women, stroke reha‐bilitation, anxiety, nausea and vomiting, dry eyes, hypertension, post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), recurrent cystitis, psychogenic erectile dysfunction, chronic post‐stroke leg spasticity, overactive bladder, refractory heartburn, rheuma‐toid arthritis, disabling breathlessness, impingement syndrome, cervical spondy‐losis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetic bladder dysfunc‐tion, balance function after stoke. The sample size of those articles varied from 16 to over 3000.…”

The role of acupuncture in the management of subfertility

“…Engelhardt et al (63) reported another randomized placebo-controlled trial among 21 patients with psychogenic ED. Acupoints that are conventionally used to treat headache were applied in the control group.…”

Acupuncture and Female Sexual Dysfunction: A Time-Series Study of Symptom Relief

“…Acupuncture involves stimulation of the body's energy flow channels with unassisted or assisted (e.g., by electric currents) needling of organ and functionspecific acupuncture points, which redirect and restore the natural balance of blocked systems. This may involve activation of corresponding neuroendocrine-, vasoactive-, and immune-modulators, 11 all of which play a role in female sexual physiology. 3 Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of acupuncture for treating various symptoms that are common to postmenopausal women.…”

“…A prospective, crossover, randomized, controlled pilot study 11 examined acupuncture specific to ED as an intervention versus acupuncture targeted at headache (control) in patients with psychogenic ED (pED). Of the 20 subjects who completed the study, more than one third responded to the intervention acupuncture as measured by pre-and post-trial criteria, which included serum sex-hormone levels and erectile response.…”