Acupuncture may help veterans with PTSD

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-02-22 03:00

International

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A US 'gold standard' clinical trial comparing acupuncture with sham acupuncture for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 71 combat veterans found receiving genuine acupuncture was effective as a treatment and had positive effects on the physical and mental health of participants, including helping them remain calm in tests of their response to fear. Sham acupuncture, used as a 'placebo control' in this study, involves inserting needles at the wrong points and not inserting them as deeply as genuine acupuncture.

Media release

From: JAMA

Acupuncture for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

About The Study: The acupuncture intervention used in this randomized clinical trial including 93 participants was clinically efficacious and favorably affected the psychobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in combat veterans. These data build on extant literature and suggest that clinical implementation of acupuncture for PTSD, along with further research about comparative efficacy, durability, and mechanisms of effects, is warranted.

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Psychiatry

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, USA

Funder: The trial was supported by Veterans Health Administration grant 5I01CX001416-02 and with resources and the use of facilities at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, Long Beach, California.

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