Table 1.
Time to visit and data collection
| -1 week | 0 week | 3 weeks | 6 weeks | 3 weeks after treatment | 6 weeks after treatment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
Baseline |
Treatment phase |
Follow-up phase |
|||
|
Patients |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Informed consent |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
| Medical history |
x |
|
|
|
|
|
| Physical examination |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
| Randomization |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Intervention |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Affected meridian acupuncture group (n = 107) |
|
18 sessions of acupuncture at acupoints |
|
|
||
| Non-affected meridian acupuncture group (n = 107) |
|
|
|
|||
|
Comparisons |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Incasive sham acupuncture group (n = 107) |
|
18 sessions of acupuncture at non-acupoints |
|
|
||
| Waiting-list group (n = 107) |
|
18 sessions of treatment at the end of the trial |
|
|
||
|
Outcomes |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 24-h blood pressure |
|
x |
|
x |
x |
x |
| Expectation of acupuncture |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
| SF- 36 |
|
x |
|
x |
|
|
| Response to treatment |
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
Participants safety |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Laboratory test |
|
x |
|
|
|
|
| Adverse events | x | x | x | x | x | |
SAS, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale; SDS, Self-Rating Depression Scale; SF-36, MOS item Short Form health survey.