Placebo Acupuncture Devices: Considerations for Acupuncture Research

Table 1

Considerations for use of placebo devices in acupuncture research.

Types of device	Considerations
	Visually indistinguishable	Somato-sensation	Constraint of needle insertion	Commercial availability	Self-made	Modality specific	Price	Reusable	Appropriate for double-blind study design	Appropriate for crossover study design
Blunted needles devices
The Steitberger; device	√			√		√	$6.3 per needle
The Park; device	√		√	√		√	$2.9 per needle
The Japanese; device	√		√			√	NA		√
Foam device	√		√		√		NA	√
Others	√				√		NA	√
Nonneedle devices
Placebo TENS	√		NA	√		√	$59 to $260 per unit	√	√	√
Placebo laser; acupuncture	√	√	NA	√		√	$hundred to thousand per unit	√	√	√

Prices according to Google Shopping. The actual prices may vary across vendors.