By: Kim YD, Heo I, Shin BC, Cindy Crawford, Kang HW, Lim JHPublication Name: Evid Based Complement Alternat MedYear: 2013To evaluate the current evidence for effectiveness of
acupuncture for
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the form of a
systematic review, a
systematic literature search was conducted in 23 electronic databases. Grey literature was also searched. The key search terms were "
acupuncture" and "PTSD." No language restrictions were imposed. We included all
randomized or
prospective clinical trials that evaluated
acupuncture and its variants against a waitlist, sham
acupuncture, conventional therapy control for PTSD, or without control. Four
randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 2 uncontrolled
clinical trials (UCTs) out of 136 articles in total were systematically reviewed. One high-quality RCT reported that
acupuncture was superior to waitlist control and therapeutic effects of
acupuncture and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) were similar based on the effect sizes. One RCT showed no statistical difference between
acupuncture and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). One RCT reported a favorable effect of acupoint stimulation plus CBT against CBT alone. A meta-analysis of
acupuncture plus moxibustion versus SSRI favored
acupuncture plus moxibustion in three outcomes. This
systematic review and meta-analysis suggest that the evidence of effectiveness of
acupuncture for PTSD is encouraging but not cogent. Further qualified
trials are needed to confirm whether
acupuncture is effective for PTSD.
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