The unexpected outcomes of acupuncture: case reports in support of refocusing research designs.

Two distinct positive outcomes are possible with Classical Acupuncture; resolution of the "main complaint" for which the patient is seeking treatment and unexpected resolution of health concerns for which the patient is not seeking treatment. Two clinical cases are presented to illustrate this phenomenon clearly. In both cases, the unexpected outcomes follow logically from the central therapeutic imperative of Oriental medicine; treatment of both the patient's root and branch. Research designs focused on single health conditions do little to reflect this central clinical reality. To highlight this problem, the two cases presented here are repositioned within the framework of research designs focused on single health conditions. It becomes clear that any eventual "gold standard" of acupuncture-appropriate research designs would reflect the full health care service provided by Classical Acupuncture. This, in turn, would ensure that health care policies based on research results would be appropriate to the realities of clinical acupuncture.