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Postprandial dyspepsia is a functional disorder characterized by uncomfortable fullness after eating and early satiety. Prokinetic drugs like metoclopramide often are prescribed with disappointing results, leading to ongoing interest in nonpharmacologic alternatives.
Chinese researchers randomized 278 patients (mean age, 41; 66% women; mean body-mass index, 22 kg/m2) with postprandial dyspepsia to receive either acupuncture or sham acupuncture (3 sessions weekly for 4 weeks). About 20% of each group tested positive for Helicobacter pylori. Patients and researchers were blinded to treatment assignment, but acupuncturists were not: The sham treatment required acupuncturists to needle inactive cutaneous points and to omit the “de qi” maneuvers …