Electroacupuncture — a form of acupuncture that uses electrodes in place of needles — was more effective for constipation and abdominal pain relief compared to sham treatment in a four-week study, but participants were able to use a laxative if they had less than three bowel movements per week. Since the researchers didn’t disclose information about laxative use during the study, it’s unclear whether the improvements were due to the electroacupuncture or the laxative.[1]
Although traditional Chinese medicine appears to be as effective as pharmaceutical drugs, most studies are of low quality with a high risk of bias due to a lack of blinding and participant randomization.[2]