A migraine is a particularly painful type of headache, which patients sometimes
ID: 3126113 • Letter: A
Question
A migraine is a particularly painful type of headache, which patients sometimes wish to treat with acupuncture. To determine whether acupuncture relieves migraine pain, researchers conducted a randomized controlled study where 89 females diagnosed with migraine headaches were randomly assigned to one of two groups: treatment or control. 43 patients in the treatment group received acupuncture that is specifically designed to treat migraines (point M in the figure of an ear below). 46 patients in the control group received placebo acupuncture (needle insertion at nonacupoint location, point S in the figure below). 24 hours after patients received acupuncture, they were asked if they were pain free. Results are summarized in the contingency table below.
Pain free?
Yes
No
Total
Treatment
10
33
43
Control
2
44
46
Total
12
77
89
Why did some patients get “stuck” at a spot “S” which was thought to not combat the headaches?
Compute the proportion who were pain free in 24 hours in the treatment group.
Compute the proportion who were pain free in 24 hours in the control group.
Compare this study to the one on antibiotics and sinusitis you read about for problems 11 to 13. Which study do you think would show stronger evidence that the treatment group is different from the control? Explain your reasoning.
Pain free?
Yes
No
Total
Treatment
10
33
43
Control
2
44
46
Total
12
77
89
Explanation / Answer
Nearly one half of the patients received placebo acupuncture. This was done to check if the patients who received the acupunture treatment felt relieved because of the placebo effect or because of the treatment itself. If the proportion of the people who felt relieved in the both the groups is nearly the same we can conclude that the treatment itself had not effect.
The proportion who were pain free in 24 hours in the treatment group: 10/43 = 0.2325
The proportion who were pain free in 24 hours in the control group: 2/44 = 0.04545.
Remaining questions require additional data.
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