RT Journal
A1 Mommaerts J, Vandevoorde J, Devroey D
T1 Acupuncture for dyspnea on exertion in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: No blindness
JF Archives of Internal Medicine
JO Archives of Internal Medicine
YR 2012
FD December 10
VO 172
IS 22
SP 1772
OP 1773
DO 10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.453
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.453
AB 
Suzuki et al1 claim that their placebo-controlled trial of acupuncture clearly demonstrates that this is a useful adjunctive therapy in reducing dyspnea on exertion in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. They used a design in which a placebo acupuncture group (PAG) received treatment with a Park sham device “with a guide tube mounted on a base adherent to the skin.”1(p879-880) The authors further describe that “[t]he tips of the placebo needles used for the placebo acupuncture group . . . were blunt and appeared to be penetrating the skin but actually telescoped back into place.”1(p880) With no blinding of the practitioner, the authors assessed subjects' blindness after the study, letting subjects choose between “real acupuncture,” “placebo acupuncture,” and “don't know.” Of the real acupuncture group (RAG), 25 of 30 subjects reported “don't know.” Of the PAG, 26 of 32 subjects did so.