This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Vickers, A. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Vickers, A. J. Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Placebo Controls in Randomized Trials of Acupuncture

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Considerable intellectual and practical effort has been expended on designing and evaluating placebo controls in acupuncture studies. Somewhat less attention has been paid to the question: Why use a placebo in a randomized trial of acupuncture? This is partly because placebo controls have generally been seen as an inherent part of randomized trial methodology. As a result, most acupuncture trials have included a placebo-control group. A large number of different placebo techniques have been used in these trials. The design and choice of placebo techniques has typically depended on purely theoretical considerations, without empirical validation of physiological inactivity and psychological credibility. Principles can be developed for deciding whether to use placebo or another form of control in a randomized trial. These include issues of ethics, practicality and methodology. Such principles apply regardless of the intervention; they can and should be applied to acupuncture research.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F G Miller and T J Kaptchuk Acupuncture trials and informed consent J. Med. Ethics, January 1, 2007; 33(1): 43 - 44. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. I. Block, B. Burns, A. J. Cohen, A. S. Dobs, S. M. Hess, and A. Vickers Point-Counterpoint: Using Clinical Trials for the Evaluation of Integrative Cancer Therapies Integr Cancer Ther, March 1, 2004; 3(1): 66 - 81. [PDF]