PMID- 16646722
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20060726
LR  - 20240229
IS  - 1075-5535 (Print)
IS  - 1075-5535 (Linking)
VI  - 12
IP  - 3
DP  - 2006 Apr
TI  - Designing an acupuncture study: the nationwide, randomized, controlled, German 
      acupuncture trials on migraine and tension-type headache.
PG  - 237-45
AB  - BACKGROUND: In the nationwide German Acupuncture Trials (GERAC) verum 
      acupuncture, based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), was to be tested 
      against sham acupuncture for the entities classified in the West as "migraine" 
      (MIG) and "tension-type headache" (TTH). However, there were no generally 
      accepted guidelines on how to perform a consistent verum or sham treatment. 
      OBJECTIVE: To design broadly consensual verum and sham acupuncture treatment 
      protocols for MIG and TTH for the GERAC. METHODOLOGY: Extensive literature study 
      and consultation with acupuncture experts. Personal interviews, both free and 
      structured, e-mail discussions, and phone conferences were used. RESULTS: Broadly 
      consensual acupuncture protocols for MIG and TTH for verum and sham acupuncture 
      were developed. They included semi-standardized point combinations with clearly 
      described point selection rules based on TCM acupuncture diagnoses. A procedure 
      was developed to help ensure homogenous treatment quality in a large multicenter 
      trial. CONCLUSIONS: The GERAC study design allowed acupuncture to be tested in a 
      naturalistic environment. The rigorous study design and the large number of 
      physician investigators guaranteed a high external validity for the results. The 
      results will help determine the significance of Chinese acupuncture in the 
      context of Western medicine for the treatment of MIG and TTH.
FAU - Molsberger, Albrecht F
AU  - Molsberger AF
AD  - Forschungsgruppe Akupunktur und Chinesische Medizin, Duesseldorf, Germany. 
      a.molsberger@facm.de
FAU - Boewing, Gabriele
AU  - Boewing G
FAU - Diener, Hans Christoph
AU  - Diener HC
FAU - Endres, Heinz G
AU  - Endres HG
FAU - Kraehmer, Nils
AU  - Kraehmer N
FAU - Kronfeld, Kai
AU  - Kronfeld K
FAU - Zenz, Michael
AU  - Zenz M
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - J Altern Complement Med
JT  - Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)
JID - 9508124
SB  - IM
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Male
MH  - *Acupuncture Therapy/methods
MH  - Critical Pathways/organization & administration
MH  - Germany
MH  - *Migraine Disorders/therapy
MH  - Multicenter Studies as Topic/methods
MH  - *Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic/methods/standards
MH  - Research Design
MH  - *Tension-Type Headache/therapy
EDAT- 2006/05/02 09:00
MHDA- 2006/07/26 09:00
CRDT- 2006/05/02 09:00
PHST- 2006/05/02 09:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2006/07/26 09:00 [medline]
PHST- 2006/05/02 09:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1089/acm.2006.12.237 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Altern Complement Med. 2006 Apr;12(3):237-45. doi: 10.1089/acm.2006.12.237.