February 8, 2008

expert in complementary medicine reacts to new research into acupuncture and IVF

The research, suggesting that acupuncture can boost the success rate of IVF treatment, was published in the British Medical Journal.

Edzard Ernst, Professor of Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, said:

“On the face of it, these results sound fantastic. I would, however, be very cautious as much of the observed effect could be due to a placebo response. IVF may not seem to be “placebo-prone” but it probably is: if women expect it to be helpful they are more relaxed which, in turn, would affect pregnancy rates.”