Efficacy and safety of acupuncture for functional constipation: a randomised, sham-controlled pilot trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The prevalence of functional constipation (FC) is 3-27%, and FC has been reported to cause discomfort in daily life and various complications. The treatment for FC depends on laxatives, and thus, effective and non-toxic alternative treatments are needed.

Methods

We conducted a randomised, sham-controlled parallel-design, pilot trial. Participants with FC were randomly assigned to either the real acupuncture (RA) or sham acupuncture (SA) group. The RA consisted of eight fixed acupuncture points (bilateral ST25, ST27, BL52 and BL25) and four additional points targeted to the individual based on Traditional Korean medicine (TKM). SA consisted of shallow acupuncture insertion at 12 non-acupuncture points. Twelve sessions were provided over 4 weeks. The outcome measure

SUBMITTER: Lee HY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6002973 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature