The journal of alternative and complementary medicine : research on paradigm, practice, and policy
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J Altern Complement Med · Mar 2014
ReviewSham control methods used in ear-acupuncture/ear-acupressure randomized controlled trials: a systematic review.
Ear-acupuncture/ear-acupressure (EAP) has been used for a range of health conditions with numerous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating its efficacy and safety. However, the design of sham interventions in these RCTs varied significantly. This study systematically reviewed RCTs on EAP for all clinical conditions involving a number of sham EAPs as a control intervention. ⋯ Meta-analysis was not conducted due to the high clinical heterogeneity across included studies. No relationship was found between the sham designs and efficacy outcomes, or between the sham types and dropout rate. No solid conclusion of which design is the most appropriate sham control of EAP could be drawn in this review.
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J Altern Complement Med · Mar 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialAcupuncture in patients suffering from allergic asthma: is it worth additional costs?
Acupuncture is increasingly used in patients with allergic asthma, but there is a lack of evidence on the cost-benefit relationship of this treatment. The aim of this study was to assess economic aspects of additional acupuncture treatment in patients with allergic bronchial asthma compared to patients receiving routine care alone. DESIGN, SUBJECTS, INTERVENTION, OUTCOME MEASURES: In a randomized controlled trial, patients with allergic bronchial asthma were either allocated to a group receiving acupuncture immediately or a waiting-list control group. Both groups were free to use routine care treatment. The resource consumption, costs, and health-related quality of life were evaluated at baseline, and after 3 and 6 months by using statutory health insurance information and standardized questionnaires. Main economic outcome parameters were direct and indirect cost differences during the study period and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of acupuncture treatment. ⋯ Treating patients who have allergic bronchial asthma with acupuncture in addition to routine care resulted in additional costs and better effects in terms of patients' quality of life. Acupuncture therefore seems to be a useful and cost-effective add-on treatment.
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J Altern Complement Med · Mar 2014
Case ReportsBee venom treatment for refractory postherpetic neuralgia: a case report.
Bee venom has been reported to have antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in experimental studies. However, questions still remain regarding the clinical use of bee venom. This report describes the successful outcome of bee venom treatment for refractory postherpetic neuralgia. ⋯ Bee venom treatment demonstrates the potential to become an effective treatment for postherpetic neuralgia. Further large-sample clinical trials should be conducted to evaluate the overall safety and efficacy of this treatment.