An experimental study in distinguishing an authentic herbal substance from sham herbal substances.

Objectives: An unblinded randomised trial can result in biased treatment effect estimates and lead to erroneous conclusions on the efficacy of the therapeutic intervention. Unlike pharmaceutical substances, Chinese herbal medicines have special characteristics including texture, colour, odour and taste as the origin of these constituents are different. In addition, its distinctive odour makes blinding of Chinese herbal medicine RCTs very difficult, as the placebo substance needs to match the special characteristics of the herbal substance being investigated.

Reliability of the NICMAN Scale: An Instrument to Assess the Quality of Acupuncture Administered in Clinical Trials.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of a scale to assess the methodological quality of acupuncture administered in clinical research.

Methods: We invited 36 acupuncture researchers and postgraduate students to participate in the study. Firstly, participants rated two articles using the scale.

Comparison of traditional Chinese medicine education between mainland China and Australia-a case study.

Objective: To analyze and compare the curriculum and delivery of a Chinese and Australian university-level Chinese medicine program.

Methods: A review of PubMed and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure for relevant educational papers was undertaken. Online and paper documents available at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and the Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CDUTCM) were read and analyzed.

Investigating the effects of three needling parameters (manipulation, retention time, and insertion site) on needling sensation and pain profiles: a study of eight deep needling interventions.

Introduction. In traditional Chinese acupuncture, needle sensation (deqi) is purported to contribute to a therapeutic outcome. While researchers have attempted to define deqi qualitatively, few have examined the effects of needling parameters on its intensity.

Development of an instrument to assess the quality of acupuncture: results from a Delphi process.

Background: Quality acupuncture influences the outcomes of clinical research, and issues associated with effective administration of acupuncture in randomized controlled trials need to be addressed when appraising studies.

Objective: The study objective was to achieve consensus on domains and items for inclusion in a rating scale to assess quality acupuncture administered in clinical research.

Study Design And Subjects: An active group of Australian acupuncture researchers initially identified a pool of items assessing quality.