The selection of dermatomes for sham (placebo) acupuncture points is relevant for the outcome of acupuncture studies: a systematic review of sham (placebo)-controlled randomized acupuncture trials.

Background: Many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture reveal no significant differences between acupuncture and so-called placebo acupuncture. There is a strong tendency to replace the term "placebo" by the term "sham," because any needling stimulates a certain physiological response. However, neither concept accounts for the great diversity of results in RCTs comparing verum acupuncture and sham (placebo) acupuncture.