Sham acupuncture is as efficacious as true acupuncture for the treatment of IBS: A randomized placebo controlled trial

Abstract Background Irritable bowel syndrome ( IBS ) patients increasingly seek out acupuncture therapy to alleviate symptoms, but it is unclear whether the benefit is due to a treatment‐specific effect or a placebo response. This study examined whether true acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture in relieving IBS symptoms and whether benefits were linked to purported acupuncture mechanisms. Methods A double blind sham controlled acupuncture study was conducted with Rome I IBS patients receiving twice weekly true acupuncture for 4 weeks (n=43) or sham acupuncture (n=36). Patients returned at 12 weeks for a follow‐up review. The primary endpoint of success as determined by whether patients met or exceeded their established goal for percentage symptom improvement. Questionnaires were completed for symptom severity scores, SF ‐36 and IBS ‐36 QOL tools, McGill pain score, and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. A subset of patients underwent barostat measurements of rectal sensation at baseline and 4 weeks. Key Results A total of 53% in the true acupuncture group met their criteria for a successful treatment intervention, but this did not differ significantly from the sham group (42%). IBS symptom scores similarly improved in both groups. Scores also improved in the IBS ‐36, SF ‐36, and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, but did not differ between groups. Rectal sensory thresholds were increased in both groups following treatment and pain scores decreased; however, these changes were similar between groups. Conclusions & Inferences The lack of differences in symptom outcomes between sham and true treatment acupuncture suggests that acupuncture does not have a specific treatment effect in IBS .