Acupuncture Protocol Research Articles

Specific Acupuncture Protocol for the Treatment of Plantar Fasciosis

Specific Acupuncture Protocol for the Treatment of Plantar Fasciosis

Advantages of anti-inflammatory acupuncture in treating sepsis of coronavirus disease 2019

Background: Sepsis is one of the most serious complications and a leading cause of death in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In general, it is the result of an unregulated inflammatory cascade such as a postinfection “cytokine storm.” The conventional treatment mainly relies on glucocorticoids, of which curative effects are not ideal, as they come with significant side effects. It is critical to seek or develop other effective therapeutics in dealing cytokine storm to fight COVID-19 with sepsis. Aims and Objectives: Raise awareness of the significance applying anti-inflammatory acupuncture in dealing COVID-19 patients with sepsis and provide an appropriate acupuncture protocol that can be easily integrated into existing medical guideline. Materials and Methods: Current evidences from animal experiments and clinical trials about acupuncture in treating infectious sepsis are reviewed, and a detailed discussion on advantages of anti-inflammatory acupuncture is followed, then the rationality on the point selection and stimulation parameters of acupuncture is analyzed to propose an appropriate acupuncture protocol. Results: Current experiments have shown that acupuncture can play a significant role to improve inflammation reaction and reduce mortality in infectious animal and patients with sepsis and its mechanisms are mainly achieved by stimulating the vagus-cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways. Applying acupuncture in treating COVID-19 patients with sepsis has four aspects of advantages. Moreover, a simple and convenient clinical acupuncture protocol including point selection and appropriate stimulation parameters is proposed. Conclusion: Acupuncture, especially electroacupuncture, has shown potentials in effectively treating infectious sepsis of animal models and critically ill patients in small sample studies by stimulating the nervous system, but has been largely overlooked in the clinic so far. It is advised that acupuncture should be integrated into the existing medical guidelines in dealing with COVID-19 complicated with sepsis.

A Feasibility Study on Treatment of Uterine Fibroids with Tung's Acupuncture.

Objective: This study seeks to evaluate the feasibility to conduct clinical studies on the treatment of uterine fibroids (UFs) and related symptoms with a 7-point Tung's acupuncture protocol. Methods: Nine participants who met the study criteria were recruited into 2 treatment groups, a 6-week and a 12-week group, with 5 and 4 participants, respectively, in each group. Acupuncture was given twice a week. Ultrasound examination was performed before and after the program to evaluate uterine size, number of fibroids, and volume. Symptom Survey Questionnaire (SSQ) for 14 symptoms was given to the participants every time receiving acupuncture. Results: All 9 participants completed the program. No adverse response nor concerns or complaints to the program was reported. The result from 1 subject was excluded from the study due to age limit. All 8 subjects reported improvement in SSQ after the 6-week acupuncture treatment. The reduction of the scores for 10 of the 14 surveyed symptoms was statistically significant. The average score showed reduction for both the 6- and 12-week groups, whereas the 12-week group appeared to have higher percentage reduction than the 6-week group. After 12 weeks of treatment, 9 of the 14 surveyed symptoms were completely eliminated. Ultrasound result for uterine size, number of fibroids, and volume was discussed. Subject recruitment, referrals, long-term follow-up, and challenges in the study were also addressed. Conclusion: It is possible to conduct clinical trial with larger sample size for the treatment of UFs with acupuncture. The study also suggests that acupuncture might reduce symptoms related to UFs. Larger trials with negative control groups and long-term follow-up may help to confirm the result. The changes in uterine size and UF volume cannot be adequately determined due to technical issues for ultrasound examination in the study.

Comparison of Two Acupuncture Protocols (K1, DU25 or K1, DU26) Efficacy on Recovery Time of Patients After General Anesthesia, a Randomized Control Clinical Trial

BackgroundAcupuncture has been used for more than two thousand years as part of traditional Chinese medicine.ObjectivesThis randomized prospective clinical trial aimed to compare the effect of acupuncture on K1 (Yongquan) and DU26 (Renghong) with acupuncture on K1 (Yongquan) and DU25 (Suliao), with sham acupuncture on the recovery time of general anesthesia.MethodsThe patients (51) were randomly assigned to three groups: (A) acupuncture on K1 and DU26, (B) acupuncture on K1 and DU25, and (C) sham acupuncture. In each group, at the end of surgery acupuncture was performed accordingly for twenty minutes and the Bispectral Index (BIS) values at end of surgery, 5th minute, 10th minute, 15th minute and 20th minute as well as time of extubation and time of eye opening after the end of surgery were evaluated.ResultsBIS study at 5th minute, 10th minute and 15th minute after the end of surgery in the groups revealed a significant difference between sham acupuncture group and both A and B acupuncture groups, which was higher in groups A and B in comparison with sham acupuncture group. Time of opening eyes and time of extubation after the end of surgery between group A and sham acupuncture group differed significantly, which was earlier in group A. There was no significant difference between group B and sham acupuncture group in terms of eye opening and extubation time.ConclusionsAcupuncture on K1 and DU26 accelerates restoring of consciousness and shortens of eye opening and extubation after general anesthesia, but on K1 and DU25 only speeds up retrieving of consciousness without significant effect on time of eye opening or extubation after general anesthesia.

Effects of different acupuncture treatment methods on mild cognitive impairment: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate state between normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease, which is the world’s most common form of dementia. It is important to identify early and easily available interventions to delay the progression of MCI to Alzheimer’s disease. Acupuncture has been reported to improve the clinical outcomes of MCI treatment. Acupuncture is a complex intervention, involving both specific and non-specific factors associated with therapeutic benefits. Therefore, we intend to obtain basic data for developing an optimal acupuncture treatment for MCI by comparing the effects of different acupuncture treatment methods on cognitive function in MCI patients.MethodsThis study will be a prospective, outcome-assessor-blinded, parallel-arm, single-center (DongShin University Gwangju Korean Medicine Hospital, Republic of Korea), randomized controlled clinical trial. Thirty-two participants with MCI will be randomized in equal numbers to four groups (basic acupuncture (BA), acupoint specificity (AS), needle duration (ND), or electroacupuncture (EA)) and receive acupuncture treatment once per day, 3 days/week for 8 weeks. The BA and ND groups will receive acupuncture treatment for 30 and 20 min, respectively, at Baihui (GV20), Sishencong (EX-HN1), Fengchi (GB20), and Shenting (GV24). The EA group will receive electroacupuncture treatment at the same acupoints for 30 min. The AS group will receive acupuncture treatment at GV20, EX-HN1, GB20, GV24, and Taixi (KI3) for 30 min. The outcome measured will be scores on the Korean version of the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale—cognitive subscale, the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, the Korean Activities of Daily Living scale, the Korean Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale, and the European Quality of Life Five Dimension Five Level scale. All scores will be recorded before intervention, 8 weeks after the first intervention, and 12 weeks after completing the intervention.DiscussionFour acupuncture protocols will be assessed and compared as potential MCI treatments. This study is expected to provide data to be used in developing an optimal acupuncture method for MCI treatment.Trial registrationClinical Research Information Service, KCT0003430. Registered on 16 January 2019.http://cris.nih.go.kr).

Human growth hormone coupled with the CMAP acupuncture protocol (GH-CMAP) enhances blastocyst formation and clinical pregnancy rates

Human growth hormone coupled with the CMAP acupuncture protocol (GH-CMAP) enhances blastocyst formation and clinical pregnancy rates

Acupuncture for cancer pain: protocol for a pilot pragmatic randomised controlled trial

IntroductionAlthough acupuncture has been recommended for alleviating cancer pain by clinical guidelines, the level of the supporting evidence needs to be improved. A pragmatic randomised controlled trial (pRCT) in a...

The effectiveness of acupuncture therapy in patients with post-stroke depression: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background:To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture in patients with post-stroke depression (PSD).Methods:The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and 4 Chinese databases were electronically searched for articles published between January 1, 2010 and May 31, 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of acupuncture on PSD were included. The quality of all included trials was assessed according to guidelines published by the Cochrane Collaboration.Results:Seven trials compared the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy with that of control in alleviating the symptoms of PSD. Pooled analysis demonstrated that patients in the acupuncture intervention group experienced a significantly higher treatment effect than controls (RR 1.16 [95% CI 1.08–1.24]; P < .0001), with low study heterogeneity (I2 = 4%). Based on intervention methods, further analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in effectiveness between the acupuncture alone and medicine groups (RR 1.25 [95% CI 1.11 1.41]; Z = 3.78; P = .0002). There was no statistically significant difference in efficacy between the acupuncture combined with medicine and medicine groups (RR 1.07 [95% CI 0.98–1.17]; P = .11).Conclusions:This meta-analysis provides evidence supporting the viewpoint that acupuncture is an effective and safe treatment for PSD. Subgroup analyses further revealed that acupuncture alone resulted in better outcomes than drug therapy in improving depressive symptoms. Further high-quality RCTs are needed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture for PSD and develop standardized acupuncture protocols.

Modified Battlefield Acupuncture Does Not Reduce Pain or Improve Quality of Life in Patients with Lower Extremity Surgery.

This study seeks to determine if modified Battlefield Acupuncture is more effective at relieving acute extremity pain, reducing medication use, and improving quality of life than placebo acupuncture or standard care after lower extremity surgery. We conducted a multi-site 3-arm randomized, double-blind controlled trial of standard care alone versus standard care + placebo auricular acupuncture with semi-permanent needles versus standard care + modified battlefield acupuncture with semi-permanent needles for lower extremity surgery at two Air Force hospitals. Subjects reported pain level immediately after acupuncture, 24, 48, 168, and 720 hours later to a blinded research associate. Additionally, subjects completed a PIQ-6 30 days post-operatively, and opioid use was tracked for 30 days post-operatively. Two hundred thiry-three subjects >18 years old (92 females and 141 males) with a mean age of 44.5 years were randomized with 81 randomized to modified BFA, 74 randomized to placebo acupuncture, and 78 randomized to standard care. Overall pain levels were unchanged at each time point between groups. Outcomes showed unchanged pain, opioid and quality of life between groups. The use of modified battlefield acupuncture protocol does not change pain opioid use or quality of life in those with lower extremity surgery.

A randomised feasibility study using an acupuncture protocol to the Achilles tendon in Achilles tendinopathy

© 2019 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. BACKGROUND: The prevalence of Achilles tendinopathy is greatest in activities including middle and long distance running, tennis, badminton, volleyball, and its incidence is increasing. However, currently no gold standard treatment for Achilles tendinopathy exists, although eccentric exercises are commonly recommended. PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the changes in clinical scores when administering a) acupuncture and b) sham acupuncture to the Achilles tendon in patients diagnosed with Achilles tendinopathy who did not respond to modified eccentric exercises. METHODS: Twenty-two patients were randomised and received either acupuncture or the control sham acupuncture treatment. VISA-A, NPRS, EQ-5D and GRC were recorded before treatment at week 0, then at week 2, week 4 with a final follow-up review at week 12. MAIN RESULTS: Acupuncture resulted in significant differences between groups and time points in VISA-A, NPRS, EQ-5D and GRC. The Acupuncture group reached the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) threshold for important difference, when compared to sham acupuncture. The difference between treatments would suggest a beneficial response following the use of acupuncture to the Achilles tendon in Achilles tendinopathy. PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS: The overall findings suggest the use of a standardised acupuncture protocol to the Achilles tendon is a viable treatment alternative, which could be used as a second line treatment in patients diagnosed with Achilles tendinopathy who did not respond to eccentric exercises. However, in view of the small sample size, the results of this feasibility study should be viewed with caution.

Laser Acupuncture in Open-Angle Glaucoma Treatment: A Retrospective Study of Eye Blood Flow

Patients with glaucoma can show blood flow anomalies at the eye vessel level. A causal relationship is reasonably expected, but so far, it has not been demonstrated. Traditional Chinese medicine indicates that acupuncture can promote specific blood perfusion in specific body districts. Ninety-eight patients with open-angle glaucoma were treated with an ultralow light–level laser, according to a specific acupuncture protocol, and their blood flow was measured before and after a six-week treatment cycle. Doppler measurements showed significant modifications in both pulsatility and resistivity indexes. The most relevant outcome of this study is that the applied treatment demonstrated its effectiveness not only in vasodilation but also in perfusion control that seems to restore appropriate functionality. The protocol therefore should be investigated in future controlled studies and perhaps in other blood perfusion–related pathologies.

Considerations of Acupuncture Protocol for Treating Heart Blood Deficiency-Patterned Heart Diseases

Considerations of Acupuncture Protocol for Treating Heart Blood Deficiency-Patterned Heart Diseases

Effectiveness of two different acupuncture strategies in patients with vulvodynia: Study protocol for a pilot pragmatic controlled trial

BackgroundVulvodynia, or vulvar pain, is a common condition in women; however, there are few evidence-based clinical trials evaluating nonpharmacological therapies for this condition. Acupuncture is one complementary and integrative medicine therapy used by some patients with vulvodynia. This study evaluates two different acupuncture strategies for the treatment of vulvodynia and aims to evaluate whether either of the acupuncture protocols reduces vulvar pain, pain duration or pain with intercourse. The study also examines how long the effect of acupuncture lasts in women with vulvodynia. Methods/designThe study is designed as a randomized controlled trial, focused on two acupuncture protocols. Fifty-one patients who have had vulvodynia for more than 3 months will be recruited. Among them, 34 patients will be randomized into Groups 1a and 1b; those who are unwilling to receive acupuncture will be recruited into the standard care group (Group 2). Patients in Group 1a will have acupuncture focused on the points in the pudendal nerve distribution area, while patients in Group 1b will receive acupuncture focused on traditional (distal) meridian points. Patients in Group 2 will receive routine conventional treatments, such as using pain medications, local injections and physical therapies or other nonsurgical procedures. Acupuncture will last 45 min per session, once or twice a week for 6 weeks. The primary outcome measurement will be objective pain intensity, using the cotton swab test. The secondary outcome measurement will be subjective patient self-reported pain intensity, which will be conducted before cotton swab test. Pain intensities will be measured by an 11-point Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Pain duration and pain score during intercourse are recorded. Local muscle tension, tenderness and trigger points (Ashi points) are also recorded. All measurements will be recorded at baseline (before the treatment), at the end of each week during treatment and at the end of the 6 weeks. Follow-up will be done 6 weeks following the last treatment. DiscussionResults of this trial will provide preliminary data on whether acupuncture provides better outcomes than nonacupuncture treatments, i.e., standard care, and whether acupuncture focused on the points in pudendal nerve distribution, near the pain area, has better results than traditional acupuncture focused on distal meridian points for vulvodynia.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03481621. Register: March 29, 2018.

Auricular Acupuncture for Chronic Pain and Insomnia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: In the United States, ∼1.6 million adults use complementary and alternative or integrative medicine for treating pain and insomnia. However, very few studies have tested the use of auricular acupuncture using a standard protocol for chronic pain and insomnia. The aims of this research were to assess the feasibility and credibility of auricular acupuncture, and to evaluate the effects of auricular acupuncture on pain severity and interference scores, and on insomnia severity over an 8-day study period. Materials and Methods: Forty-five participants were randomized to either an auricular acupuncture group (AAG) or a usual care group (CG) on study day 4. A standard auricular acupuncture protocol was administered, with penetrating semipermanent acupuncture needles in place for up to 4 days. The main outcome measures were feasibility of conducting the study, credibility of auricular acupuncture as a treatment modality, Brief Pain Inventory pain severity and interference scores, and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores. Results: There was high interest in the study and the retention was 96%. Credibility of auricular acupuncture as a treatment was high in both groups. The use of the standard auricular acupuncture protocol in the AAG led to significant within- and between-group reduced pain severity and interference scores, compared to the CG. Both groups showed within-group decreased ISI scores. However, the AAG showed significant between-group reduced ISI severity scores compared to the CG. Conclusions: With the heightened focus on the opioid crisis in the United States, this easy-to-administer protocol may be an option for treating military beneficiaries who have chronic pain and insomnia.

Laser acupuncture protocol for essential systemic arterial hypertension: randomized clinical trial.

ABSTRACTObjectives:to evaluate the efficacy of a laser acupuncture protocol developed and applied by nurses in arterial hypertension patients. Method:randomized, multicenter, triple-blind and two-armed clinical trial. The sample consisted of 102 participants, 51 per arm, both sexes, aged between 30 and 75 years, undergoing drug therapy for a year or more, with difficulty to control blood pressure, maintaining regular measures >140x90 mmHg. Participants underwent six standard or simulated laser-acupuncture sessions, for 24 minutes, within a period of six weeks. Descriptive analyzes expressed as frequencies of occurrences, means and medians were used, and analysis of the association between variables was performed using Student’s t-test and Anova, using Statistica® software, version 12.0. The significance level was set at 5% (alpha=0.05). The comparison between blood pressure measurements was performed using Student’s t-test for paired samples and Anova for repeated measures. Results:a significant reduction in systolic (p<0.001) and diastolic (p<0.001) blood pressure was observed among participants in the intervention arm, which was not observed in the simulation arm. Conclusion:the results have demonstrated the efficacy of the protocol. Reduction and control of blood pressure have been demonstrated, indicating the possibility of using this technology for the care of patientes with essential systemic arterial hypertension. Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials. UTN: U1111-1177-1811. Clinical Trials NCT02530853.

Effect of Acupuncture vs Sham Acupuncture or Waitlist Control on Joint Pain Related to Aromatase Inhibitors Among Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Musculoskeletal symptoms are the most common adverse effects of aromatase inhibitors and often result in therapy discontinuation. Small studies suggest that acupuncture may decrease aromatase inhibitor-related joint symptoms. To determine the effect of acupuncture in reducing aromatase inhibitor-related joint pain. Randomized clinical trial conducted at 11 academic centers and clinical sites in the United States from March 2012 to February 2017 (final date of follow-up, September 5, 2017). Eligible patients were postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer who were taking an aromatase inhibitor and scored at least 3 on the Brief Pain Inventory Worst Pain (BPI-WP) item (score range, 0-10; higher scores indicate greater pain). Patients were randomized 2:1:1 to the true acupuncture (n = 110), sham acupuncture (n = 59), or waitlist control (n = 57) group. True acupuncture and sham acupuncture protocols consisted of 12 acupuncture sessions over 6 weeks (2 sessions per week), followed by 1 session per week for 6 weeks. The waitlist control group did not receive any intervention. All participants were offered 10 acupuncture sessions to be used between weeks 24 and 52. The primary end point was the 6-week BPI-WP score. Mean 6-week BPI-WP scores were compared by study group using linear regression, adjusted for baseline pain and stratification factors (clinically meaningful difference specified as 2 points). Among 226 randomized patients (mean [SD] age, 60.7 [8.6] years; 88% white; mean [SD] baseline BPI-WP score, 6.6 [1.5]), 206 (91.1%) completed the trial. From baseline to 6 weeks, the mean observed BPI-WP score decreased by 2.05 points (reduced pain) in the true acupuncture group, by 1.07 points in the sham acupuncture group, and by 0.99 points in the waitlist control group. The adjusted difference for true acupuncture vs sham acupuncture was 0.92 points (95% CI, 0.20-1.65; P = .01) and for true acupuncture vs waitlist control was 0.96 points (95% CI, 0.24-1.67; P = .01). Patients in the true acupuncture group experienced more grade 1 bruising compared with patients in the sham acupuncture group (47% vs 25%; P = .01). Among postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer and aromatase inhibitor-related arthralgias, true acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture or with waitlist control resulted in a statistically significant reduction in joint pain at 6 weeks, although the observed improvement was of uncertain clinical importance. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01535066.

The Successful Treatment of Chronic Pain Using Microcurrent Point Stimulation Applied to Battlefield Acupuncture Protocol

The Successful Treatment of Chronic Pain Using Microcurrent Point Stimulation Applied to Battlefield Acupuncture Protocol

Double-blind acupuncture needles: a multi-needle, multi-session randomized feasibility study

BackgroundEfficacy of acupuncture is difficult to demonstrate without a feasible double-blind milieu. Double-blind acupuncture needles have been validated in single session protocols with one or two needles but not been tested in a protocol requiring many needles and repeated sessions.MethodsWe determined the feasibility of a 13-needle, 10-session study protocol. Feasibility focused on (1) enrolling and retaining participants; (2) two acupuncturists accurately implementing a double-blind, multi-needle, multi-session protocol; (3) participants completing measures; and (4) protocol acceptability to participants. In this double-blind randomized controlled pilot study, participants were randomized 1:1 to a penetrating needle group or a skin-touch placebo control group.ResultsSix women with vulvodynia (mean age 31.5 ± 8 years; five white, non-Latina, one black/African American) met the eligibility requirements, consented to participation, and were enrolled. All six participants (100%) completed the 10-session study protocol in 5 weeks without missing any treatment sessions. Per observed checklist documented technique, two acupuncturists flawlessly administered the 13-needle, 10-session acupuncture protocol; no needles malfunctioned. Six participants attended all sessions and completed 99% of measurement items. One participant did not like acupuncture (60% acceptability score) and five liked acupuncture (100% acceptability scores); the mean acceptability score was 93.3%.ConclusionStudy feasibility was supported. This protocol can be used in a double-blind efficacy trial of acupuncture for vulvodynia.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02704234. Registered 30 November 2015.

Building Capacity for Complementary and Integrative Medicine Through a Large, Cross-Agency, Acupuncture Training Program: Lessons Learned from a Military Health System and Veterans Health Administration Joint Initiative Project.

Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) use in the USA continues to expand, including within the Military Health System (MHS) and Veterans Health Administration (VHA). To mitigate the opioid crisis and provide additional non-pharmacological pain management options, a large cross-agency collaborative project sought to develop and implement a systems-wide curriculum, entitled Acupuncture Training Across Clinical Settings (ATACS). ATACS curriculum content and structure were created and refined over the course of the project in response to consultations with Subject Matter Experts and provider feedback. Course content was developed to be applicable to the MHS and VHA environments and training was open to many types of providers. Training included a 4-hr didactic and "hands on" clinical training program focused on a single auricular acupuncture protocol, Battlefield Acupuncture. Trainee learning and skills proficiency were evaluated by trainer-observation and written examination. Immediately following training, providers completed an evaluation survey on their ATACS experience. One month later, they were asked to complete another survey regarding their auricular acupuncture use and barriers to use. The present evaluation describes the ATACS curriculum, faculty and trainee characteristics, as well as trainee and program developer perspectives. Over the course of a 19-mo period, 2,712 providers completed the in-person, 4-hr didactic and hands-on clinical training session. Due to the increasing requests for training, additional ATACS faculty were trained. Overall, 113 providers were approved to be training faculty. Responses from the trainee surveys indicated high satisfaction with the ATACS training program and illuminated several challenges to using auricular acupuncture with patients. The most common reported barrier to using auricular acupuncture was the lack of obtaining privileges to administer auricular acupuncture within clinical practice. The ATACS program provided a foundational template to increase CIM across the MHS and VHA. The lessons learned in the program's implementation will aid future CIM training programs and improve program evaluations. Future work is needed to determine the most efficient means of improving CIM credentialing and privileging procedures, standardizing and adopting uniform CIM EHR codes and documentation, and examining the effectiveness of CIM techniques in real-world settings.

Acupuncture for breast cancer-related lymphedema: a randomized controlled trial.

Approximately 20% of breast cancer survivors develop breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL), and current therapies are limited. We compared acupuncture (AC) to usual care wait-list control (WL) for treatment of persistent BCRL. Women with moderate BCRL lasting greater than six months were randomized to AC or WL. AC included twice weekly manual acupuncture over six weeks. We evaluated the difference in circumference and bioimpedance between affected and unaffected arms. Responders were defined as having a decrease in arm circumference difference greater than 30% from baseline. We used analysis of covariance for circumference and bioimpedance measurements and Fisher's exact to determine the proportion of responders. Among 82 patients, 73 (89%) were evaluable for the primary endpoint (36 in AC, 37 in WL). 79 (96%) patients received lymphedema treatment before enrolling in our study; 67 (82%) underwent ongoing treatment during the trial. We found no significant difference between groups for arm circumference difference (0.38cm greater reduction in AC vs. WL, 95% CI -0.12 to 0.89, p = 0.14) or bioimpedance difference (1.06 greater reduction in AC vs. WL, 95% CI -5.72 to 7.85, p = 0.8). There was also no difference in the proportion of responders: 17% AC versus 11% WL (6% difference, 95% CI -10 to 22%, p = 0.5). No severe adverse events were reported. Our acupuncture protocol appeared to be safe and well tolerated. However, it did not significantly reduce BCRL in pretreated patients receiving concurrent lymphedema treatment. This regimen does not improve upon conventional lymphedema treatment for breast cancer survivors with persistent BCRL.