subjective, patient-reported outcomes such as pain. Ratings of pain
and similar subjective states can be strongly influenced by
respondents' prejudgments, preferences, and expectations about
treatment benefits. Therefore, controlling for these expectations or
"placebo effects" by using a sham acupuncture control group is
considered critically important in trials of acupuncture for
pain-related conditions.
USC doctor prescribes acupuncture for Gulf War Syndrome
6:00 a.m. | By Stephanie O'Neill | KPCC
More than 100,000 veterans of the first Gulf War's Operation Desert
Storm are now living with Gulf War Syndrome, a chronic, multi-symptom
disorder that may be caused by exposure to toxic chemicals.
So far, there=92s no cure. But one doctor believes Eastern medicine may
provide relief.
"The symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome include fatigue, skin rashes,
muscle and joint pain, difficulty concentrating and emotional
problems," says Lisa Conboy, a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical
School. "Because it=92s such a complex condition, treatment is elusive.
[...] It would be fantastic if there could be some relief for these
veterans it=92s been more than 20 years that they=92ve been in
discomfort."
Conboy is studying the effects of acupuncture in treating Gulf War
veterans who show signs of the illness.
Her studies are still preliminary. But she told students at USC that
anecdotal evidence indicates the ancient Chinese practice may be
providing relief.
What=92s more, she says, compared to potential drug treatments,
acupuncture is much more cost-effective.
Eighty-five Gulf War vets in Massachusetts are now enrolled in
Conboy=92s research, which is funded by the Department of Defense.
Below is the research report:
Contemp Clin Trials. 2012 Feb 10. [Epub ahead of print]
The effectiveness of acupuncture in the treatment of Gulf War Illness.
Conboy L, St John M, Schnyer R.
New England School of Acupuncture, 150 California Street, Newton, MA 02458,=
USA.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
It can be challenging to study complex and novel health states within
the parameters of a RCT. This report describes the use of an unblinded
Phase II Clinical Trial design to investigate the effectiveness of
acupuncture in the treatment of Gulf War Illness (GWI). GWI is a
complex illness found among veterans of the first Gulf War, and is
characterized by multiple symptoms, including fatigue, sleep and mood
disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, and musculoskeletal pain. No
published trials of acupuncture for the treatment of GWI exist. This
trial is designed to both answer questions of the effectiveness of
acupuncture for our entire sample, as well as subgroups with of
individual presentations of GWI.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Our primary outcome is quality of life as measured by the SF-36. In an
effort to better understand this complex disease and its treatment,
our multi-level measurement plan examines psychosocial variables,
fatigue, sleep quality, pain, and biomarkers of inflammation and
immune status. All of the measurement instruments used in this trial
show good validity and reliability.
RESULTS:
This study is ongoing and clinical results are not available. We have
achieved good feasibility of our recruitment, treatment, and data
collection procedures.
CONCLUSIONS:
Low constraint RCT designs are an appropriate choice when
investigating conditions in which the causes and mechanisms of disease
are poorly understood. This naturalistic RCT includes individualized
protocols, a clinically supported length and dose of treatment, a wait
list control arm, and the ethical benefit that all subjects receive
treatment during the study.
Copyright =C2=A9 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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