The effects of acupuncture versus sham/placebo acupuncture for insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Zhang, Jinhuan; He, Yong; Huang, Xingxian; Liu, Yongfeng; Yu, Haibo

doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101253

Cited by 24 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The study by Jinhuan and coauthors has shed more light on the effects of acupuncture for insomnia. They analyzed fifteen studies involving 1108 patients and found acupuncture superior to placebo in treating insomnia 93 . On the other hand, in 2019, He and coworkers published an overview of 34 systematic reviews assessing acupuncture to treat insomnia.…”

Section: Non‐pharmacologic Therapiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non‐pharmacologic treatment of insomnia in primary care settings

Hrehová

Mezian

2021

Int J Clin Pract

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Introduction Prevalence of insomnia is higher in females and increases with higher age. Besides primary insomnia, comorbid sleep disorders are also common, accompanying different conditions. Considering the possible adverse effects of commonly used drugs to promote sleep, a non‐pharmacologic approach should be preferred in most cases. Although generally considered first‐line treatment, the non‐pharmacologic approach is often underestimated by both patients and physicians. Objective To provide primary care physicians an up‐to‐date approach to the non‐pharmacologic treatment of insomnia. Methods PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were searched for relevant articles about the non‐pharmacologic treatment of insomnia up to December 2020. We restricted our search only to articles written in English. Main message Most patients presenting with sleep disorder symptoms can be effectively managed in the primary care setting. Primary care physicians may use pharmacologic and non‐pharmacologic approaches, while the latter should be generally considered first‐line treatment. A primary care physician may opt to refer the patient to a subspecialist for refractory cases. Conclusions This paper provides an overview of current recommendations and up‐to‐date evidence for the non‐pharmacologic treatment of insomnia. This article emphasizes the importance of cognitive‐behavioral therapy for insomnia, likewise, exercise and relaxation techniques. Complementary and alternative approaches are also covered, eg, light therapy, aromatherapy, music therapy, and herbal medicine.

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Section: Non‐pharmacologic Therapiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non‐pharmacologic treatment of insomnia in primary care settings

Hrehová

Mezian

2021

Int J Clin Pract

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“…A recent systematic review of 15 RCT of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture for insomnia showed that the frequency of acupuncture treatment session ranged from 2 to 7 per week, and the duration of treatment ranged from 3 to 8 weeks. 19 Further dose-response studies may be conducted to determine the best frequency and duration of the acupuncture treatment. As an indicator of the sufficiency of sleep length, participants who received TA reported a longer total sleep time derived from both subjective and objective measures than those who received SA, although no significant between-group difference was found in sleep efficiency or perceived symptoms severity as measured by ISI.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…16 Previous systematic reviews suggested that acupuncture could be effective for insomnia, but the results have been inconclusive due to methodological shortcomings and the lack of standard measurements of sleep. [17][18][19][20][21] A major limitation is that these studies lacked standard measurements of sleep, such as objective sleep assessment and sleep diaries, which are essential in insomnia efficacy trials. In addition, it is believed that the individualized approach is of optimal effectiveness in terms of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory 22 and resembles the clinical practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Semi-Individualized Acupuncture for Insomnia Disorder and Oxidative Stress: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial

Yeung¹,

Yu²,

Yuen³

et al. 2021

NSS

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Background: Acupuncture is an alternative treatment for improving sleep, and it may attenuate oxidative stress, which is a possible pathophysiological factor in insomnia. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of a semi-individualized acupuncture in improving sleep and explore its effect on oxidative stress parameters in adults with insomnia disorder. Methods: In this randomized sham-controlled trial, 140 participants were randomly assigned to either a 4-week semi-individualized traditional acupuncture (TA) or noninvasive sham acupuncture (SA). The primary outcome measure was the sleep-diary-derived sleep efficiency. Other outcomes included sleep diary and actigraphy, Insomnia Severity Index, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and quality of life. Blood samples were taken to measure oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde, glutathione peroxidase, paraoxonase, and arylesterase). Results: Although no significant difference was found in the primary outcome measure, both sleep-diary-derived and actigraphy-derived total sleep time (TST) were significantly increased in the TA group at 1-week posttreatment (mean difference in sleep diary = 22.0 min, p = 0.01, actigraphy = 18.8 min, p = 0.02). At 5-week posttreatment follow-up, a significantly higher proportion of participants in the TA group showed sleep-diaryderived sleep efficiency (SE) ≥ 85% than in the SA group (55.6% versus 36.4%, p = 0.03). Conclusion: TA and SA did not significantly differ in improving subjective sleep efficiency in individuals with insomnia disorder. However, the TA group showed a short-term effect on improving TST as measured by both sleep diary and actigraphy at 1-week posttreatment, but there were no differences in the oxidative stress parameters.

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“…There are many articles compared efficacy between MA and PA, but the conclusions are different. Some reviews [31][32][33][34] drew a conclusion that MA definitely better than PA, other review [35] found no difference between MA and PA. The jury is out on whether or not there is existing acupuncture placebo effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of Manual Acupuncture Versus Placebo Acupuncture for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Gad) in Perimenopause Women : Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Liu

Xie

et al. 2021

Preprint

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BackgroundGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common among perimenopause women. Drug treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy have their pros and cons. Acupuncture may be an effective treatment for GAD, but evidence is limited. The pathogenesis of GAD is not yet clear, but it is related to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and its excretion, cortisol (CORT) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). The object of this study is to assess the efficacy of manual acupuncture (MA) versus placebo acupuncture (PA) for perimenopause women with GAD. MethodsThis study is a single center, randomized, double blind clinical trial that will be conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine. A total of 112 eligible GAD patients will be randomly assigned (1:1) to receive MA (n=56) or PA (n=56) three times per week for four weeks. The primary outcome measure will be the score of GAD-7. The secondary outcome measures will be the score of HAMA and PSQI, and the level of CORT and ACTH. The evaluation will execute at baseline, 2 weeks, the end of the treatment and a follow-up period. All main analyses will be carried out based on the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle. DiscussionThis study intends to conduct to compare the efficacy between MA and PA in the treatment of perimenopause woman with GAD, and to further study the mechanisms of effect. Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry, ID: ChiCTR2100046604. Registered on 22 May 2021. URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn.

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The effects of acupuncture versus sham/placebo acupuncture for insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Cited by 24 publications

References 34 publications

Non‐pharmacologic treatment of insomnia in primary care settings

Non‐pharmacologic treatment of insomnia in primary care settings

Semi-Individualized Acupuncture for Insomnia Disorder and Oxidative Stress: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Sham-Controlled Trial

Efficacy of Manual Acupuncture Versus Placebo Acupuncture for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Gad) in Perimenopause Women : Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

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