Review Article

Effect of Acupuncture on Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review

Table 2

Inclusion criteria of the RCTs.

ComponentCriteria

ParticipantAdults (aged ≥18) were treated with needle acupuncture with or without electric stimulation
InterventionTrials employed acupuncture as the sole treatment
ComparatorTrials compared needle acupuncture with any type of sham acupuncture or no treatment (control)
Outcome measuresTrials used spectral analysis of HRV as the outcome measure