Acupuncture in the spotlight:

A systematic review recently published online by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) concluded that “Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic pain and is therefore a reasonable referral option. Significant differences between true and sham acupuncture indicate that acupuncture is more than a placebo. However, these differences are relatively modest, suggesting that factors in addition to the specific effects of needling are important contributors to the therapeutic effects of acupuncture.” Articles published by the media in relation to this study highlight (albeit indirectly, in some cases) the difficulty of researching complementary and alternative therapies, including finding a suitable research model that takes into account the valuable role of the therapeutic relationship between the practitioner and client, and how to effectively ‘blind’ subjects as to whether they are receiving a real or sham acupuncture treatment for the purposes of research.

To read an abstract of the study, click here

To read an article published by the Guardian, click here

To read an article published by the Daily Mail, click here

Image: iStockphoto