ReviewChinese journal of integrative medicine2016
Is sham acupuncture as effective as traditional Chinese acupuncture? It's too early to say.
Review in Chinese journal of integrative medicine, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Placebo Effect of Sham Acupuncture for Primary Insomnia: A Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Journal of sleep research · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of acupuncture in experimental intracerebral hemorrhage: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Pooled it
- Placebo Response among Different Types of Sham Acupuncture for Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Acupuncture for radiation-induced toxicity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review based on PICO criteria.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2022Pooled it
- The Role of Acupuncture in the Management of Insomnia as a Major or Residual Symptom Among Patients With Active or Previous Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Acupuncture for post-stroke depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2021Pooled it
- Electroacupuncture for Women with Chronic Severe Functional Constipation: Subgroup Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.BioMed research international · 2019Trial
- Acupressure on Sleep Quality and Daytime Sleepiness of Surgical Nurses: A Randomized, Single-Blind, Sham-Controlled Tria.Florence Nightingale journal of nursing · 2025Article
- Study on the Prescription of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Cervical Spondylotic Radiculopathy Based on Computer Vision Image Analysis.Contrast media & molecular imaging · 2022Article
- The Influence of Acupuncture Parameters on Efficacy and the Possible Use of Acupuncture in Combination with or as a Substitute for Drug Therapy in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Review
- Article
- Acupuncture for retinitis pigmentosa: study protocol for a randomised, sham-controlled trial.BMJ open · 2021Article
- Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis: Effectiveness and Safety of Acupuncture as Adjuvant Therapy for Side Effects Management in Drug Therapy-Receiving Breast Cancer Patients.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Review
- Acupuncture for Psychosomatic Symptoms of Hwa-byung, an Anger Syndrome: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Acupuncture for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: study protocol for a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.Trials · 2020Article
- Analysis of the Registration Information on Interventions of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Trials in the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2018Review
- Appropriateness of sham or placebo acupuncture for randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for nonspecific low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of pain research · 2018Article
- Pivotal factors concerned in design of acupuncture clinical research: From two articles in JAMA.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Many clinical trials and experimental studies claim that sham acupuncture is as effective as traditional Chinese acupuncture. However, these studies have no standard sham acupuncture control and many other factors can affect the clinical effect. These factors include needle retention time, treatment frequency, and the total number of treatments needed for satisfactory results, and all can change the clinical effect. The majority of existing acupuncture treatment studies do not consider these factors and lack standard dosage criteria. Therefore, it is still too early to conclude that sham acupuncture is as effective as traditional Chinese acupuncture. This article investigates the factors that influence the curative effect of acupuncture as to help set a standard for acupuncture studies in the future.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.