Placebo Acupuncture Devices: Considerations for Acupuncture Research

Abstract

Determining an appropriate control for use in acupuncture research remains one of the largest methodological challenges acupuncture researchers face. In general, acupuncture controls fall under one of two categories: (1) sham acupuncture, in which the skin is punctured with real acupuncture needles either fully at nonacupoint locations or shallowly at acupoint locations or both and (2) placebo acupuncture, which utilizes nonpenetrating acupuncture devices. In this study, we will focus on non-penetrating placebo acupuncture devices (blunted-needle and nonneedle devices) that are currently available in acupuncture research. We will describe each device and discuss each device's validation and application in previous studies. In addition, we will outline the advantages and disadvantages of these devices and highlight how the differences among placebo devices can be used to isolate distinct components of acupuncture treatment and investigate their effects. We would like to emphasize that there is no single placebo device that can serve as the best control for all acupuncture studies; the choice of an acupuncture control should be determined by the specific aim of the study.

Repeated acupuncture treatments modulate amygdala resting state functional connectivity of depressive patients

“…In this study, we found that combining acupuncture with fluoxetine can produce greater improvement in MDD patients, which is consistent with findings from previous studies investigating the combinative effects of acupuncture and other treatments (Duan et al, 2008; Y. Liu et al, 2008, Roschke et al, 2000, Zhang et al, 2009, Zhu et al, 2013). …”

“…However, antidepressant treatments may produce undesirable side effects and a delay in the onset of therapeutic action (Arroll et al, 2005, Zhu et al, 2013). In this study, we found that combining acupuncture with fluoxetine can produce greater improvement in MDD patients, which is consistent with findings from previous studies investigating the combinative effects of acupuncture and other treatments (Duan et al, 2008; Y.…”

“…Current treatments of antidepressant medications may be provided as an initial primary treatment for MDD, but they are far from satisfactory (Rush et al, 2003, Sackeim, 2001) due to undesirable side effects and a delay in the onset of therapeutic action (Arroll et al, 2005, Zhu et al, 2013). …”

“…One solution is to combine acupuncture with other conventional, mainstream treatments. Using the treatment of depression as an example, accumulating evidence has indicated that acupuncture combined with antidepressant medications is more effective than antidepressants alone, safe, well-tolerated, and has an early onset of action (Zhang et al, 2009, Zhu et al, 2013) However, the lack of understanding regarding the underlying mechanisms of the combinative treatment of acupuncture and antidepressant medications has significantly slowed the attempt to incorporate this treatment into mainstream medicine.…”

Comparison of the placebo effect between different non-penetrating acupuncture devices and real acupuncture in healthy subjects: a randomized clinical trial

“…However, studies have reported conflicting results when using a control group in research to test the true effectiveness of real acupuncture [1]. Some studies have consistently shown that both real and placebo acupuncture had advantages over untreated control groups [2, 3], while some studies have suggested that real acupuncture is more effective than placebo [4–6]; others have failed to show benefits of real acupuncture over placebo one [7–10].…”