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Jéssica Maria Costi, MD; Shih Min Li, MD, MSc, PhD; Ari Ojeda Ocampo Moré, MD; João Eduardo Marten Teixeira, MD

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The randomized trial by Cherkin et al¹ comparing 2 forms of acupuncture, simulated acupuncture and usual care for low back pain, raises some questions we would like to address. The original Chinese term for acupuncture, Zhen Jiu, shows 2 ideograms: "needle" and "moxa." It means that from the beginning the acupuncture stimulation of points could be performed in different ways, not only by needle insertion. Even the specific Western literature supports this notion.² Nowadays, much effort has been applied on using the precepts of evidence-based medicine, adapting from drug trials, in the acupuncture clinical trials. Nevertheless, the so-called sham procedures are controversial,³ and we believe they cannot be accepted as placebos.⁴

So what is being simulated indeed? The use of a toothpick to simulate insertion of a needle still . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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RELATED LETTER

Sham Acupuncture Is Not a Placebo
Shih Min Li, Jéssica Maria Costi, and João Eduardo Marten Teixeira
Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(9):1011.
EXTRACT | FULL TEXT  

RELATED ARTICLES

A Randomized Trial Comparing Acupuncture, Simulated Acupuncture, and Usual Care for Chronic Low Back Pain
Daniel C. Cherkin, Karen J. Sherman, Andrew L. Avins, Janet H. Erro, Laura Ichikawa, William E. Barlow, Kristin Delaney, Rene Hawkes, Luisa Hamilton, Alice Pressman, Partap S. Khalsa, and Richard A. Deyo
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(9):858-866.
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German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) for Chronic Low Back Pain: Randomized, Multicenter, Blinded, Parallel-Group Trial With 3 Groups
Michael Haake, Hans-Helge Müller, Carmen Schade-Brittinger, Heinz D. Basler, Helmut Schäfer, Christoph Maier, Heinz G. Endres, Hans J. Trampisch, and Albrecht Molsberger
Arch Intern Med. 2007;167(17):1892-1898.
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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Double blinding with a new placebo needle: a further validation study
Takakura et al.
Acupuncture in Medicine 2010;28:144-148.
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