TY - JOUR
T1 - The Safety of Laser Acupuncture
T2 - A Systematic Review
AU - Yang, Juan
AU - Mallory, Molly J.
AU - Wu, Qinglong
AU - Bublitz, Sara E.
AU - Do, Alexander
AU - Xiong, Donglin
AU - Chen, Christina Ying Ying
AU - Dorsher, Peter T.
AU - Chon, Tony Y.
AU - Bauer, Brent A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Juan Yang et al. Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
PY - 2020/8
Y1 - 2020/8
N2 - Objective: Laser acupuncture has become increasingly attractive in clinical practice, especially for patients with needle phobias well as elderly people and children. However, literature concerning the safety of laser acupuncture has been limited. This systematic review synthesizes the current available literature on the safety of laser acupuncture. Methods: Ovid MEDLINE,® Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations Daily, Ovid Embase, Scopus, and EBM Reviews-Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched for available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on laser acupuncture. Safety data were extracted from the included studies. Adverse events (AEs) data were extracted and assessed in terms of severity and causality. Results: Of 737 articles, 21 RCTs were included. The majority of these RCTs reported that laser acupuncture was safe, without AEs; 6 trials reported AEs (including tingling, pain flare-ups, and transient fatigue). All AEs were mild and resolved spontaneously within 24 hours. The causal relationship between AEs and laser acupuncture was felt to be "certain"in 4 studies, "probable"in 1 study, and "possible"in 1 study. AEs were collected and monitored by evaluation methods in 7 trials: 5 with AE questionnaires, 1 with a checklist, and 1 with oral reports. Conclusions: Laser acupuncture appears to be a safe therapy associated with few mild and transient AEs. However, given the heterogeneity of current studies, large, well-designed placebo-controlled RCTs with rigorous evaluation methods are needed to assess the safety of laser acupuncture more completely.
AB - Objective: Laser acupuncture has become increasingly attractive in clinical practice, especially for patients with needle phobias well as elderly people and children. However, literature concerning the safety of laser acupuncture has been limited. This systematic review synthesizes the current available literature on the safety of laser acupuncture. Methods: Ovid MEDLINE,® Epub Ahead of Print, In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations Daily, Ovid Embase, Scopus, and EBM Reviews-Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases were searched for available randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on laser acupuncture. Safety data were extracted from the included studies. Adverse events (AEs) data were extracted and assessed in terms of severity and causality. Results: Of 737 articles, 21 RCTs were included. The majority of these RCTs reported that laser acupuncture was safe, without AEs; 6 trials reported AEs (including tingling, pain flare-ups, and transient fatigue). All AEs were mild and resolved spontaneously within 24 hours. The causal relationship between AEs and laser acupuncture was felt to be "certain"in 4 studies, "probable"in 1 study, and "possible"in 1 study. AEs were collected and monitored by evaluation methods in 7 trials: 5 with AE questionnaires, 1 with a checklist, and 1 with oral reports. Conclusions: Laser acupuncture appears to be a safe therapy associated with few mild and transient AEs. However, given the heterogeneity of current studies, large, well-designed placebo-controlled RCTs with rigorous evaluation methods are needed to assess the safety of laser acupuncture more completely.
KW - adverse event
KW - complementary and alternative medicine
KW - laser acupuncture
KW - musculoskeletal pain
KW - safety
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U2 - 10.1089/acu.2020.1419
DO - 10.1089/acu.2020.1419
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85092351192
SN - 1933-6586
VL - 32
SP - 209
EP - 217
JO - Medical Acupuncture
JF - Medical Acupuncture
IS - 4
ER -