Acupuncture for allergic rhinitis: state of research
Roberts J, Huissoon A, Dretzke J, et al. A systematic review of the clinical effectiveness of acupuncture for allergic rhinitis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2008 Apr 22;8(1):13 [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 18430229
British researchers undertook this comprehensive analysis of clinical trials through 2007. The authors found that only two of the seven trials they identified were of high quality, and therefore that there is "currently insufficient evidence to support or refute the use of acupuncture in patients with [allergic rhinitis].
As the first such analysis, this study provides a valuable benchmark for future research of acupuncture in this setting and particularly in the design of randomized clinical trials. One observation points to a key difficulty in designing trials for therapies that attempt to engage the body’s capacity for self-healing, the so-called "placebo effect":
Studies in AR frequently demonstrate marked improvements in the placebo group, and this means that large, well-controlled studies are required to demonstrate true effects.
technorati tags: complementary and alternative medicine integrative medicine complementary medicine acupuncture clinical trials placebo effect
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