Table 1 Treatment details of each group
Group | Acupoint | Manipulation |
|---|---|---|
Group A traditional acupuncture | EX-HN 15 (Jingbailao) | The needle-punching depth in the each acupoint is 0.5 to 0.8 cun. The sensation (denominated de-qi) is necessary |
SI 15 (Jianzhongshu) | ||
Group B acupoints shallow puncture | EX-HN 15 (Jingbailao) | The needles are pierced through the skin for 0.2 cun and not enough to produce de-qi |
SI 15 (Jianzhongshu) | ||
Group C non-acupoint acupuncture | Non-acupoint 1 | The needle-punching depth in the acupoints is 0.5 to 0.8 cun. The sensation (denominated de-qi) is necessary |
Non-acupoint 2 | ||
Group D non-acupoint shallow puncture | Non-acupoint 1 | The needles are pierced through the skin for 0.2 cun and not enough to produce de-qi |
Non-acupoint 2 | ||
Group E sham puncture | EX-HN 15 (Jingbailao) | The placebo needle tip is pressed and fixed on the skin of the acupoint |
SI 15 (Jianzhongshu) |