Evidence for the Use of Acupuncture in Treating Parkinson's Disease: Update of Information From the Past 5 Years, a Mini Review of the Literature

Abstract

Acupuncture is an alternative therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), but its efficacy and safety are controversial. Our previous study, which reviewed the literature from 1974 to 2012, could not find enough evidence from rigorously designed randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) to make a conclusion about the efficacy of acupuncture. Recently, more RCTs and meta-analyses have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture. The aim of our current study is to provide updated information in brief on this topic. In this study, we analyzed and summarized seven RCTs and four meta-analyses. Although all included studies were not of high quality, we found that there has been a tremendous progress in acupuncture research in treating Parkinson's disease (PD) during the past 5 years, based on our experience and insights into the behavioral assessments of PD. First, the numbers of RCTs and meta-analyses based on RCTs are increasing. Second, non-motor symptoms are increasingly emphasized. Third, objective behavioral assessment tools are being employed. Although recent studies can provide limited evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture, we make the following recommendations for the future investigation: First, large, multicenter, well-designed RCTs should be organized for evaluation of the efficacy of acupuncture. Second, objective assessments using novel computerized technologies should be considered. Third, target symptoms should be selected and evaluated instead of only performing global evaluations. Fourth, attention should be paid to the efficacy of scalp acupuncture. Fifth, the safety of acupuncture should be evaluated and reported.

Problems lowering the study quality in traditional medicine, introspection from an example of meta-analysis of acupuncture

“…Although the results of the meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture was effective in treating ICH, the quality of the included studies was quite weak according to the strict evaluation standards of EBM, which limited the worthiness of the evidence. Only limited evidence was obtained from this study, which is in agreement with most of the previous studies involved in TCM evaluation [1][2][3][4]. Our results indicated that lack of blinding and allocation concealment and high heterogeneity were the most dominant flaws in most of the TCM trials, which is attributed to the fundamental difference between TCM and Western medicine.…”

“…In our previous studies on the use of acupuncture to treat neurological diseases, [1,2] we searched thousands of literature reports regarding the efficacy of acupuncture, but we could not find even one paper that provided convincing evidence. Our recent follow-up study found some RCTs that provided limited evidence for the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, but the evidence was still weak [3]. A recent systematic review by the Cochrane Library regarding Chinese herbs for lithiasis also came to the same conclusion [4].…”

“…The potential selection bias, performance bias, detection bias, attrition bias, reporting bias, and publication bias were evaluated during the meta-analysis. The quality of the included studies was evaluated according to a standard original Jadad scale described in our previous study [3]. Performing randomization got 1 score.…”

Electro-acupuncture alleviates motor deficits and maladaptive striatal plasticity in partial-lesioned parkinsonian mice

“…As an alternative and complementary therapy, acupuncture or electro-acupuncture (EA) has long been used to alleviate the symptoms of patients with PD and improve their quality of life [19][20][21]. Our studies have consistently demonstrated that high-frequency EA stimulation (100 Hz) alleviated movement disorders in multiple parkinsonian models [22][23][24][25].…”

Parkinson’s Disease Rehabilitation: Effectiveness Approaches and New Perspectives

“…It has been described as showing improvement in the UPDRS total score and in its subsections after an acupuncture session. So, even motor and nonmotor signs and symptoms, including pain, can be improved with the use of acupuncture [65][66][67]. However, the most important source of data that proves the beneficial effects of acupuncture in treatment of signs and symptoms in Parkinson's disease is provided from functional neuroimaging studies.…”