Is Minimal Acupuncture an Adequate Control in Clinical Trials?

최소 침(Minimal Acupuncture)이 침 임상연구에서 적절한 대조군인가?

Objective : Acupuncture, one of the Oriental medical treatment techniques in East Asia, is growing in popularity all over the world. Based on bibliographical and clinical data, the depth of needling, i.e. superficial or deep needling, has been considered to be a variable as potential modifiers of needling effects, such as localization, manipulation of the needle, or elicitation of DeQi. The purpose of this review is to summarize clinical trials using minimal acupuncture and to evaluate its appropriateness as a control. Methods : A survey of computerized literature searches for randomized controlled trials using minimal acupuncture revealed that a total of 10 studies were published until April 2008. Results : Results obtained from clinical trials showed that acupuncture were more effective than minimal acupuncture in 3 out of 10 trials, while others were no more effective than control. However, minimal acupuncture might neither be a inert placebo nor be indiscriminable. Conclusion : Minimal acupuncture as 'placebo' controls seems misleading and scientifically unacceptable.