Non-specific effects of different sham acupuncture methods and their impact on true acupuncture effectiveness in migraine: a protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis
Abstract
Introduction Migraine, a major headache disorder of high prevalence, affects approximately one billion individuals globally and imposes a substantial socioeconomic burden. Acupuncture, as a modality of complementary and alternative medicine, is increasingly used by patients for migraine management. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of acupuncture in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) for this condition remains a subject of debate. The varying non-specific effects of different sham acupuncture (SA) techniques complicate the accurate assessment of true therapeutic effectiveness of acupuncture. This protocol details a systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) aimed at comprehensively evaluating both the effectiveness of acupuncture compared with various sham controls and the differential non-specific effects of different SA methods in migraine. Our aims involve: (1) evaluating the effectiveness of acupuncture relative to SA controls in migraine treatment; (2) comparing the effect sizes across different SA methods and (3) identifying potential factors that influence the outcomes associated with various sham interventions. Methods and analysis We will undertake a thorough investigation using multiple databases, including Wanfang Data, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Chongqing VIP Database, SinoMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Chinese Clinical Trial Register, International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry…
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