Evidence map›Paper›PMID 16824230›Full record

SynthesisBMC complementary and alternative medicine2006

How might acupuncture work? A systematic review of physiologic rationales from clinical trials.

Howard H Moffet

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2006. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
33.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 114 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Acupuncture for glaucoma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020
    Pooled it
  2. Acupuncture for acute hordeolum.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Acupuncture for glaucoma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013
    Pooled it
  5. Acupuncture for uterine fibroids.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2010
    Pooled it
  6. Acupuncture for glaucoma.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2007
    Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Trial
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Changes of Local Blood Flow in Response to Acupuncture Stimulation: A Systematic Review.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2016
    Review
  20. Acupuncture for acute hordeolum.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2014
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.

Howard H MoffetKaiser Permanente--Division of Research, Oakland, CA, USA. Howard.H.Moffet@kp.org
Kaiser Permanente · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundScientific interest in acupuncture has led numerous investigators to conduct clinical trials to test the efficacy of acupuncture for various conditions, but the mechanisms underlying acupuncture are poorly understood.

methodsThe author conducted a PubMed search to obtain a fair sample of acupuncture clinical trials published in English in 2005. Each article was reviewed for a physiologic rationale, as well as study objectives and outcomes, experimental and control interventions, country of origin, funding sources and journal type.

resultsSeventy-nine acupuncture clinical trials were identified. Twenty-six studies (33%) offered no physiologic rationale. Fifty-three studies (67%) posited a physiologic basis for acupuncture: 33 (62% of 53) proposed neurochemical mechanisms, 2 (4%) segmental nervous system effects, 6 (11%) autonomic nervous system regulation, 3 (6%) local effects, 5 (9%) effects on brain function and 5 (9%) other effects. No rationale was proposed for stroke; otherwise having a rationale was not associated with objective, positive or negative findings, means of intervention, country of origin, funding source or journal type. The dominant explanation for how acupuncture might work involves neurochemical responses and is not reported to be dependent on treatment objective, specific points, means or method of stimulation.

conclusionMany acupuncture trials fail to offer a meaningful rationale, but proposing a rationale can help investigators to develop and test a causal hypothesis, choose an appropriate control and rule out placebo effects. Acupuncture may stimulate self-regulatory processes independent of the treatment objective, points, means or methods used; this would account for acupuncture's reported benefits in so many disparate pathologic conditions.

Indexed as

Acupuncture TherapyAutonomic Nervous SystemBrainClinical Trials as TopicControl GroupsGeographyHumansNeurochemistryPainPain ManagementPeriodicals as TopicPhysiological PhenomenaPlacebosResearch Support as TopicPlacebos

Identifiers

PMID16824230
PMCPMC1523365
OpenAlexW1542204927

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.