Acupuncture and Amitriptyline for HIV-Related Peripheral Neuropathic Pain
- Ted J. Kaptchuk, OMD
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Harvard Medical School
Boston, Mass
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
To the Editor: From a scientific perspective, the trial by Dr Shlay and colleagues1 on the use of acupuncture and amitriptyline to treat peripheral neuropathy related to infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is well executed and designed. Indeed, acupuncture may be of no value for pain due to this condition. Nonetheless, I do not believe that this trial presents credible evidence for this hypothesis. The problem is with the acupuncture component of the trial. The "active" standardized acupuncture regimen (SAR) is more suitable as a placebo treatment. The authors raise the issue of whether they chose the wrong "active points," but they reject this possibility because consensus on these points was reached by 8 acupuncturists. As a teacher of acupuncture and a practitioner who has treated patients with HIV neuropathy, I would never have even considered 2 of the 3 points (spleen 7 and 9) used in …
