Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu về y học được đăng trên tạp chí y học Critical Care giúp cho các bạn có thêm kiến thức về ngành y học đề tài: Are acupoints specific for diseases? A systematic review of the randomized controlled trials with sham acupuncture controls. | Zhang et al. Chinese Medicine 2010 5 1 http content 5 1 1 CHINESE MEDICINE REVIEW Open Access Are acupoints specific for diseases A systematic review of the randomized controlled trials with sham acupuncture controls Hongwei Zhang1 Zhaoxiang Bian2 Zhixiu Lin1 Abstract Background The results of many clinical trials and experimental studies regarding acupoint specificity are contradictory. This review aims to investigate whether a difference in efficacy exists between ordinary acupuncture on specific acupoints and sham acupuncture controls on non-acupoints or on irrelevant acupoints. Methods Databases including Medline Embase AMED and Chinese Biomedical Database were searched to identify randomized controlled trials published between 1998 and 2009 that compared traditional body acupuncture on acupoints with sham acupuncture controls on irrelevant acupoints or non-acupoints with the same needling depth. The Cochrane Collaboration s tool for assessing risk of bias was employed to address the quality of the included trials. Results Twelve acupuncture clinical trials with sham acupuncture controls were identified and included in the review. The conditions treated varied. Half of the included trials had positive results on the primary outcomes and demonstrated acupoint specificity. However among those six trials total sample size 985 with low risk of bias five trials sample size 940 showed no statistically significant difference between proper and sham acupuncture treatments. Conclusion This review did not demonstrate the existence of acupoint specificity. Further clinical trials with larger sample sizes optimal acupuncture treatment protocols and appropriate sham acupuncture controls are required to resolve this important issue. Background In acupuncture the acupoints for a specific treatment are selected from a group consisting of local acupoints distal acupoints and symptomatic acupoints. The selection should be in accordance with the meridian .
