Hsiao An-Fu, Lai-Trzebiatowski Jennifer, Smith Tyler, Calloway Teresa, Aden Chelsea, Jovanovic Tanja, Smith Besa, Carrick Kala, Munoz Andrea, Jung Megan, Hollifield Michael
Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, 5901 E. 7th St, Long Beach, CA 90822, USA.
Department of Medicine, Health Policy Research Institute and General Internal Medicine, University of California Irvine, 100 Theory, Suite 110, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
J Clin Med. 2025 May 15;14(10):3443. doi: 10.3390/jcm14103443.
: Current interventions for anxiety, depression, and insomnia are efficacious, yet effectiveness may be limited by side effects and/or high withdrawal rates. Other desirable treatment options are needed. Many veterans and civilians are turning to acupuncture as an emerging therapy. Our objective was to conduct a more definitive study comparing verum with sham acupuncture (minimal needling). : A two-arm, single-blinded randomized controlled trial (RCT) hypothesizing that both verum and sham acupuncture are effective and the effects of verum are superior to those of sham acupuncture. We recruited subjects from a single outpatient-based site, the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, Long Beach, CA, USA. A total of 93 treatment-seeking combat Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), aged 18-55, were allocated to groups by adaptive randomization, and 71 participants completed the intervention protocols. Verum and sham were both offered as 1 h sessions, twice a week, and participants were allowed 15-weeks to complete up to 24 sessions. This was a secondary analysis from a larger study about the efficacy of acupuncture for PTSD. Outcomes for the current study were pre- to post-intervention change in the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Outcomes were assessed pre-, mid-, and post-treatment. General Linear Models comparing within- and between-group results were analyzed in both intention-to-treat (ITT) and treatment completer models. : In total, 85 males and 8 females, with a mean age of 39.2 (median = 37.0), were randomized. For anxiety, the verum acupuncture showed a large treatment effect ( = 1.3), whereas sham acupuncture showed a moderate effect ( = 0.9). There was no statistical difference between the verum and sham acupuncture groups. Similar effects were found for depression and insomnia symptoms. Withdrawal rates were low. : Both verum and sham acupuncture were efficacious in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in a population of veterans with PTSD. However, there was no clinical difference between the verum and sham acupuncture groups. These data build on extant literature and suggest that further research on the clinical implementation and durability of acupuncture for anxiety, depression, and insomnia is warranted.
目前针对焦虑、抑郁和失眠的干预措施是有效的，但有效性可能会受到副作用和/或高停药率的限制。因此需要其他理想的治疗选择。许多退伍军人和平民都将针灸作为一种新兴疗法。我们的目标是进行一项更具权威性的研究，比较真针灸与假针灸（微针治疗）。：一项双臂、单盲随机对照试验（RCT），假设真针灸和假针灸均有效，且真针灸的效果优于假针灸。我们从美国加利福尼亚州长滩的蒂博尔·鲁宾退伍军人事务医疗中心这一单一门诊地点招募受试者。共有93名年龄在18 - 55岁、寻求治疗的患有创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的参战退伍军人通过适应性随机分组被分配到各个组，71名参与者完成了干预方案。真针灸和假针灸均为每周两次、每次1小时的疗程，参与者有15周时间完成最多24次治疗。这是一项关于针灸治疗PTSD疗效的更大规模研究的二次分析。本研究的结果是汉密尔顿焦虑量表、贝克抑郁量表和匹兹堡睡眠质量指数从干预前到干预后的变化。在治疗前、治疗中期和治疗后对结果进行评估。在意向性分析（ITT）和治疗完成者模型中，使用一般线性模型比较组内和组间结果。：总共85名男性和8名女性被随机分组，平均年龄为39.2岁（中位数 = 37.0）。对于焦虑，真针灸显示出较大的治疗效果（ = 1.3），而假针灸显示出中等效果（ = 0.9）。真针灸组和假针灸组之间没有统计学差异。在抑郁和失眠症状方面也发现了类似的效果。停药率较低。：真针灸和假针灸在治疗患有PTSD的退伍军人的焦虑、抑郁和失眠方面均有效。然而，真针灸组和假针灸组之间没有临床差异。这些数据以现有文献为基础，表明有必要对针灸治疗焦虑、抑郁和失眠的临床应用及持久性进行进一步研究。
