Petrie J, Hazleman B
Clin Exp Rheumatol. 1985 Apr-Jun;3(2):151-3.
In a study comparing the credibility of acupuncture and sham transcutaneous nerve stimulation (TNS) within a group of chronic pain patients, equal suggestion of the sham TNS was achieved by incorporating a visual display and strong verbal suggestion into the placebo treatment. The analgesic effect of placebo is a confounding factor in controlled trials of physical methods of pain relief, and the use of sham therapy distinguishable from active therapy requires that the placebo be validated as a true control for the non-specific components that constitute the placebo aspect of the active treatment. This study uses a questionnaire designed to assess patient expectancy of effectiveness and concludes that sham TNS with strong visual and verbal suggestion may be a valid placebo for controlled studies of the analgesic effect of acupuncture.
在一项针对一组慢性疼痛患者比较针灸与假经皮神经电刺激（TNS）可信度的研究中，通过在安慰剂治疗中加入视觉展示和强烈的言语暗示，实现了对假TNS同等程度的暗示。安慰剂的镇痛效果是疼痛缓解物理方法对照试验中的一个混杂因素，使用与主动治疗可区分的假治疗要求将安慰剂验证为构成主动治疗安慰剂方面的非特异性成分的真正对照。本研究使用一份旨在评估患者疗效预期的问卷，并得出结论，伴有强烈视觉和言语暗示的假TNS可能是针灸镇痛效果对照研究的有效安慰剂。
