Loading...
Prior studies have suggested that acupuncture benefits patients with chronic stable angina. In this Chinese study, purported to be the largest randomized trial to date, researchers recruited 404 patients (mean age, 62) who had chronic stable angina for at least 3 months (mean weekly episodes, 13). Patients with prior myocardial infarction, severe heart failure, or a wide range of unstable cardiac and other chronic diseases were excluded.
Patients were assigned to four groups: an intervention group who received mechanical and electrical acupuncture at standard acupoints based on expert consensus, two active-control groups who received acupuncture at nontherapeutic acupoints or nonstimulating sham acupuncture, and another group who were put on…