Acupuncture: Clinical studies on efficacy and effectiveness in patients with chronic pain

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Hi All,

 

Witt CM, Brinkhaus B, Willich SN. [Acupuncture. Clinical studies on

efficacy and effectiveness in patients with chronic pain.][Article in

German] Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung

Gesundheitsschutz. 2006 Aug;49(8):736-42. Institut fur Sozialmedizin,

Epidemiologie und Gesundheitsokonomie, Charite - Universitatsmedizin

Berlin, 10098, Berlin, BRD, claudia.witt. In Germany,

acupuncture is one of the most frequently used complementary and

alternative therapies. In the year 2000, we initiated three large projects

in co-operation with statutory health insurance companies to assess the

effectiveness, safety and costs of acupuncture in patients with chronic

headache, low back pain and pain due to osteoarthritis. Our findings

showed that acupuncture was more effective than conventional

standard treatment, treatment without acupuncture or a waiting list

control. A significant difference between acupuncture and sham

acupuncture was only seen for arthritis of the knee; for the other

diagnoses, both forms of acupuncture showed similar effects. Whether

the effects of acupuncture are due primarily to specific or unspecific

mechanisms appears to depend on the diagnosis and should be

investigated in further studies. PMID: 16897149 [PubMed - in process]

 

Best regards,