Jones David Blake
Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Atlanta Restorative Acupuncture at MindBody Wellness Atlanta, L.L.C., Atlanta, GA.
Med Acupunct. 2018 Apr 1;30(2):68-72. doi: 10.1089/acu.2018.1270.
The acupuncture profession is stymied by a dearth of comparative research. A review of the literature for acupuncture research reveals no meta-analyses comparing the effectiveness of different clinically popular methods/systems of acupuncture. Rather than comparing different methods/systems, acupuncture research seems more focused on determining if acupuncture, in general, works. The aim of this Perspective is to examine the current state of acupuncture research and determine what, if any, problems or gaps in this research exist. A number of studies are discussed and analyzed to determine the current state of acupuncture research. There is a lack of focus on details related to clinical practice in much of acupuncture research, and there is lack of diversity of point selection and a subsequent lack of comparison of different acupuncture methods in most acupuncture studies. There are, however, some good exceptions. There is a need for more comparative and basic science research-not only to demonstrate the efficacy and mechanisms of acupuncture to policymakers and insurers, or to help us know the most potent protocols for certain conditions, but also to instill greater confidence in inexperienced practitioners.
针灸行业因缺乏比较研究而受阻。对针灸研究文献的回顾显示，没有荟萃分析来比较不同临床常用针灸方法/体系的有效性。针灸研究似乎更侧重于确定针灸总体上是否有效，而非比较不同的方法/体系。本观点文章的目的是审视针灸研究的现状，并确定该研究中存在哪些问题或差距（如果有的话）。文中讨论并分析了多项研究以确定针灸研究的现状。在许多针灸研究中，缺乏对与临床实践相关细节的关注，大多数针灸研究中穴位选择缺乏多样性，进而缺乏对不同针灸方法的比较。不过，也有一些很好的例外情况。需要更多的比较研究和基础科学研究——不仅是为了向政策制定者和保险公司证明针灸的疗效和作用机制，或者帮助我们了解针对某些病症的最有效方案，也是为了让经验不足的从业者更有信心。
