ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture in treating functional dyspepsia. Method Sixty-eight patients with functional dyspepsia were randomized into an acupuncture group and a control group. The acupuncture group was intervened by matrix needling, once a day, 8 d as a course, with a 2-day interval between two courses, for successive 4 weeks. The control group was prescribed with Motilium at 10 mg, 3 times a day, for successive 4 weeks. Result The total effective rate was 91.4% in the acupuncture group versus 87.9% in the control group, and the difference was statistically insignificant (P>0.05); there was a significant difference in abdominal pain score between the two groups (P<0.05), indicating that the acupuncture group should be superior to the control in releasing abdominal pain. Conclusion The overall efficacies in treating functional dyspepsia are equivalent between the acupuncture group and control group, but the acupuncture group is better than the control in releasing pain. Therefore, compared to medicine, acupuncture has advantage in treating functional dyspepsia.