Annals of palliative medicine
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Acupuncture is a common alternative therapy for clinical treatment of insomnia. As the underlying mechanism is yet unclear, its efficacy is often considered as placebo effect. To clarify whether acupuncture treatment of insomnia is only due to its placebo effect, a systematic review and a meta-analysis were designed based on the comparison between acupuncture and sham acupuncture. ⋯ Acupuncture treatment of insomnia is efficacious, not because of its placebo effect. For the selection of sham acupuncture, both methods performed similarly in a clinical setting. Moreover, insomnia patients with major depression disorder were not recommended to use only acupuncture treatment.