Developing and validating a sham acupuncture needle
- Correspondence to Dr Jongbae J Park, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Drive, Campus Box 7200, N1181 Memorial Hospital, Chapel Hill 27519-7200, NC, USA; Jongbae_park{at}med.unc.edu
The development of adequate controls has been an ongoing challenge in the effort to scientifically evaluate the safety and efficacy of acupuncture. Despite several sham acupuncture control devices previously reported, the development of a new sham acupuncture device that can be used as a control for different style of acupuncture may still be needed. A sham device for acupuncture interventions in which the needle is briefly manipulated up and down, rather than left in situ, would be an important contribution to evaluate the effectiveness of such an experimental intervention. Tough and colleagues report on their efforts to develop this type of device (see page 118).
Building on evidence that suggests that the least active and most credible control for true …
