Why we should change the course of acupuncture research
Item
Title
Why we should change the course of acupuncture research
Description
J of Chin Med (2008), Balk, Judith;Horn, Brandon.
Abstract
Double-blinded placebo-controlled studies have been the gold standard of modern research. Their use for pharmaceutical studies is certain, but their utility for non-pharmaceutical research is questionable. Recently, multiple studies have examined specifically the use of acupuncture as adjunctive treatment to in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). The results are overall positive, but they have been questioned due to methodological issues such as lack of placebo controls. We discuss barriers to studying acupuncture, using IVF acupuncture research as an example, and we challenge the approach of mimicking pharmaceutical research for acupuncture studies. We hope this article will contribute not only to future acupuncture research, but to other research where techniques, rather than pharmaceuticals, are being studied, and will begin a productive dialogue that will cross over many fields.
Alternative Title
J of Chin Med
Creator
Date
Date Created
7/23/2008
Language
English
Source
Subject
Type
Journal Article
issn
0143-8042
issue
87
page end
55
page start
50