Study Shows Differences in Effects of ‘Real’ and ‘Sham’ Acupuncture

A recent article in the Harvard Gazette – Health News reported on a study researching whether acupuncture improves outcomes in carpal tunnel syndrome in part by remapping the brain. The study was reported in the journal Brain by a team of investigators based at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

The researchers found that both real and sham acupuncture improved patient–reported CTS symptoms. However, there were notable differences in physiologic measures. Real acupuncture at the affected hand led to measurable improvements in outcomes both at the affected wrist and in the brain, while acupuncture at the opposite ankle produced improvement at the wrist only. Brain remapping immediately after real acupuncture was linked to long–term improvement in CTS symptoms. No physiologic improvements resulted from sham acupuncture.