[Placebo effect of acupuncture: a critique and reflection on methodology of clinical research]

Through clinical practice and theory of acupuncture, three aspects are expounded in this article, namely whether the sham acupuncture is in reality as well as in name or not, whether the topics assigned as real and sham acupuncture exists or not, and whether the effect of acupuncture equals to placebo or not. It is held that the research method which separates the biological availability and psychological effect does not confirm to the theory of integration of the physical and the psychological in Chinese medicine. It also does not meet the new medical model of biology-psychology-society of the modern society. Therefore, the western research module which separates the physical and psychological should not be repeated. Sham acupuncture as a control method is still immature, which is not appropriate to be taken as a standard model for acupuncture research. If the research method which takes modern medicine as the control method in Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion can be promoted, and the most effective and the most advanced methods and results which are general accepted can be taken as the control, the differences and the advantages of acupuncture-moxibustion can be discovered directly with greater value