title: The Evaluation of Curative Effect of Acupuncture: A Review of Systematic and Meta-Analysis Studies.
abstract: The present study attempts to critically evaluate previously published research articles on the efficiency of acupuncture in the treatment of diseases. First, 35 systematic reviews or meta-analysis were found in the Cochrane database. Second, 54 related articles were selected by searching important scientific databases. Based on the results obtained regarding the efficacy of acupuncture for the treatment of various diseases, the articles were divided into 3 groups. The first group of articles confirmed the efficacy of treatment by acupuncture. In the second group of articles, the therapeutic effect of acupuncture was shown; however, further research is required to verify the results. In the third group of articles there is no evidence regarding the therapeutic effect of acupuncture till now. There is an urgent need to design and conduct double-blinded randomized clinical trials with high-quality methodologies. This provides a more careful evaluation of acupuncture efficiency in relation to the treatment of a vast array of diseases, based on scientific evidence.
authors.affiliation: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran salehialireza45@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salehi
authors.affiliation: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marzban
authors.affiliation: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hadi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Imanieh
mesh_terms: D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: acupuncture; traditional medicinal plants