title: Acupuncture has no immediate treatment effect on the neutrophil respiratory burst: a randomized single-blinded two-period crossover study.
abstract: Little is known about the influence of acupuncture treatment on the immune system. The respiratory burst (RB) of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) is a recognized measure of their cytotoxicity, an important component of the immune system. The present trial was therefore performed to examine whether a single-acupuncture treatment has an immediate effect on the RB of neutrophil PMNs. Sixteen volunteers were enrolled in the study. After randomization, eight volunteers were treated bilaterally with standard needles at acupoint LI11 and eight volunteers with placebo needles at the same acupoint, each for 30 min. The RB was determined before and 30 min after treatment. After two weeks, each group received the alternative treatment. There was a drop-out of two volunteers. No period or carryover effects were found in the remaining fourteen volunteers. No effect of acupuncture on the neutrophil RB was observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Clinic, Medical School of Hannover, Pain Clinic, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany. karst.matthias@mh-hannover.de
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karst
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scheinichen
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rueckert
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: Birgitt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wiese
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fink
mesh_terms: D026881:Acupuncture; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009339:Needles; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology*; D010919:Placebos; D016897:Respiratory Burst / Q000276:immunology*; D016037:Single-Blind Method
chemical_list: D010919:Placebos