Some View of Acupuncture Research Methodology

A thorough literature survey will be the starting point for the clinical evaluation of acupuncture. The acupuncture was founded and developed before the advent of modem science. It is based on a different culture and philosophy. It is a healing art, only recently been investigated scientifically, so it will be recognized that knowledge about acupuncture is to be found in anecdotal observations rather than in systematic laboratory and clinical studies that have been published in the scientific literature. Even through some publications on acupuncture may not meet the stringent requirements of international peer-reviewed journals, but they may still provide potentially useful observations and ideas for further study.

The evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a new medical method and development of the empirical medicine. The Chinese acupuncturist began to absorb and use the methods and principles of EBM to guide acupuncture clinical research and practice since 1990s. Now more and more domestic acupuncture clinicians are using and following the methods and principles of EBM. In the future, maybe only developing specialized team of acupuncture clinical research and clinical research center can radically elevate acupuncture clinical research. Meanwhile, developing China’s evidence-based acupuncture may base itself characteristics of acupuncture, such as emphasis on original research in ancient books, high-quality single RCTs and systemic review of non-randomized researches.

Key Words: Acupuncture research methodology, some view