Placebo-Laser kontrollierte, Computer gesteuerte Doppelblind-Untersuchung - neue Ansätze für die Akupunktur-Grundlagenforschung

The realization of a placebo in acupuncture is very difficult. Therefore nonacupoints usually were used as a control condition. However, examinations with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed that needle acupuncture at non-acupuncture points leads to activations of the cerebral cortex. Therefore, one cannot exclude that an effect is not induced. The same examination with laser acupuncture of non-acupuncture points showed no activation of the human brain. By using laser acupuncture the patient is not able to distinguish between Placebo and verum acupuncture. The use of computer controlled multi-channel-lasers allows realizations of double blinded and placebo controlled study designs.