Re: A doubt about the interpretation of the findings
There is an inherent risk of bias in all non-blinded clinical trials.
Linde et al. explicitly recognise that bias might have affected their
results (1). Madsen et al. and Linde et al. each found a small analgesic
benefit for acupuncture compared with no acupuncture.
Madsen et al. conclude that the small benefit of acupuncture does not
have clinical relevance and could be due to bias. Linde et al. conclude
simply that acupuncture is slightly more effective and has fewer side
effects than prophylactic drug treatment. Linde et al. appear to take a
more sanguine view of the possible effects of bias than the more cautious
view expressed by Madsen et al.
References 1. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, et al. Acupuncture for
migraine prophylaxis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009(1):CD001218.
Rapid Response:
Re: A doubt about the interpretation of the findings
There is an inherent risk of bias in all non-blinded clinical trials.
Linde et al. explicitly recognise that bias might have affected their
results (1). Madsen et al. and Linde et al. each found a small analgesic
benefit for acupuncture compared with no acupuncture.
Madsen et al. conclude that the small benefit of acupuncture does not
have clinical relevance and could be due to bias. Linde et al. conclude
simply that acupuncture is slightly more effective and has fewer side
effects than prophylactic drug treatment. Linde et al. appear to take a
more sanguine view of the possible effects of bias than the more cautious
view expressed by Madsen et al.
References 1. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, et al. Acupuncture for
migraine prophylaxis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2009(1):CD001218.
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests