Fig. 1From: Real world research: a complementary method to establish the effectiveness of acupunctureCharacteristics of acupuncture treatment. Abbreviations: TCM, traditional Chinese medicine. * Acupuncture treatment is a complex intervention which includes three aspects consisting of many components. † Acupuncture treatment is an individualized treatment based on patient conditions and TCM theory. ‡ Varies considerably across different physicians as different skill and experienceBack to article page