Nonspecific Feelings Expected and Experienced during or Immediately after Electroacupuncture: A Pilot Study in a Teaching Situation

Abstract

Background: Some feelings elicited by acupuncture-type interventions are “nonspecific”, interpretable as resulting from the placebo effect, our own self-healing capacities—or, indeed, the flow of qi. Expectation is thought to contribute to these nonspecific effects. Here we describe the use of two innovative 20-item questionnaires (EXPre20 and EXPost20) in a teaching situation. Methods: Respondents were acupuncture students or practitioners on electroacupuncture (EA) training courses (N = 68). EXPre20 and EXPost20 questionnaires were completed before and after receiving individualised treatment administered by colleagues. Respondents were also asked about their prior experience of EA or transcutaneous electroacupuncture stimulation (TEAS). Results: Respondents expected significantly more items to change than not to change, but significantly fewer were experienced as changing. Increases in given questionnaire items were both expected and experienced significantly more often than decreases. “Tingling”, “Relaxation”, and “Relief” or “Warmth” were most often expected to increase or were experienced as such, and “Pain” and “Tension” to decrease or experienced as decreasing. Expectations of change or no change were confirmed more often than not, particularly for “Tingling” and “Tension”. This was not the result of the personal respondent style. Cluster analysis suggested the existence of two primary feeling clusters, “Relaxation” and “Alertness”. Conclusions: Feelings experienced during or immediately after acupuncture-type interventions may depend both on prior experience and expectation.

Influence of Psychological Factors in Primary Dysmenorrhea Patients on De qi: a Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Gu and Ma believed that acupuncture de qi has a two-pronged effect of psychological suggestion and physiological regulation [46]. The patient's expectation of the effect of acupuncture treatment often affects their sensory experience of the whole acupuncture process [47]. Also, patients' understanding of the relationship between needle sensation and therapeutic effect, in part, reflects their expectations.…”

Individual Differences in Responsiveness to Acupuncture: An Exploratory Survey of Practitioner Opinion

“…Outcomes from acupuncture treatment have been considered to depend on many interacting factors, including—among others—the condition treated, treatment parameters (acupuncture points and procedures used), setting, practitioner experience, characteristics and attitude, the patient–practitioner relationship, advice given, co-interventions, conditioning (e.g., from treatment repetition) and expectation [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Introduction to the Medicines Special Issue on Acupuncture—Basic Research and Clinical Application

“…Expectation is thought to contribute to these nonspecific effects. In the article “Nonspecific Feelings Expected and Experienced during or Immediately after Electroacupuncture: A Pilot Study in a Teaching Situation” the authors describe the use of two innovative 20-item questionnaires in a teaching situation [ 5 ]. Cluster analysis suggested the existence of two primary feeling clusters, “Relaxation” and “Alertness”.…”