Acupuncture versus sham non-acupoint acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture compared to sham non-acupoint acupuncture in treating irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The results indicated that acupuncture significantly improved the response rate, symptom severity, and quality of life for IBS patients compared to the sham treatment. However, the authors noted significant heterogeneity and low certainty of evidence, suggesting the need for further high-quality trials to confirm these findings.