The research of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a circle that starts from ‘bed to bench’ then comes back from bench to bed. As a branch of TCM, acupuncture needs to be studied further. In this paper we explore the clinical research of acupuncture through discussing a series trials of acupuncture for constipation. We perform bservational studies as the first step for acupuncture to preliminarily observe its efficacy and safety. Based on the observational study, we carry out randomized controlled trial (RCT) to select the optimal prescription of acupoints, and obtain an acupuncture regimen with the best efficacy and easiest manipulation. Afterwards, we implement a superiority RCT to clarify the therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture by comparing it with placebo needle. Finally, we conduct a non-inferior RCT to explore the clinical application value of acupuncture by comparing it with the ‘gold standard’ if needed.

clinical scientific research of acupuncture  /  randomized controlled trial  /  observational study  /  acupuncture for constipation