This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Analgesia is one of the most studied therapeutic effects of both acupuncture and placebo. Clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving acupuncture for pain relief tend to report contradictory or equivocal outcomes often due to the fact that 'control' groups exhibit beneficial treatment effects on the same order of magnitude as the acupuncture treatment groups [1-4]. In contrast, basic science research investigating both acupuncture and placebo analgesia has produced unequivocal results [5-8] that have led to specific testable mechanistic hypotheses. This study applies the basic science methodology of acupuncture analgesia prior to the administration of thermal pain to a clinical population of patients with low back pain, while monitoring expectations for relief and controlling for psychiatric comorbidity. This is a first step in elucidating mechanisms for success or failure of acupuncture.
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