Concerns about the use of verum acupuncture points in sham acupuncture studies for pain conditions: Findings and insights from network meta-analysis

. 2025 Mar;14(1):101122.

doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2025.101122. Epub 2025 Jan 10.

Affiliations

¹ KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
² Department of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, Dong-Eui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan, Korea.
³ KM Convergence Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
⁴ Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.
⁵ School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington D.C., United States.
⁶ Korean Medicine Clinical Trial Center, Korean Medicine Hospital, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
⁷ Kristiania University College, Institute of Health and Training, Oslo, Norway.
⁸ Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM), Tromsø, Norway.

Boram Lee et al. Integr Med Res. 2025 Mar.

. 2025 Mar;14(1):101122.

doi: 10.1016/j.imr.2025.101122. Epub 2025 Jan 10.

¹ KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
² Department of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, Dong-Eui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan, Korea.
³ KM Convergence Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
⁴ Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, United States.
⁵ School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington D.C., United States.
⁶ Korean Medicine Clinical Trial Center, Korean Medicine Hospital, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
⁷ Kristiania University College, Institute of Health and Training, Oslo, Norway.
⁸ Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NAFKAM), Tromsø, Norway.

No abstract available

Keywords: Acupuncture points; Acupuncture therapy; Pain; Placebos; Sham acupuncture.

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