Acupuncture Combined With Mindfulness: ACUMIND (ACUMIND)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04089319 |
Recruitment Status :
Terminated
(COVID-19 prevented us from recruiting additional participants.)
First Posted : September 13, 2019
Last Update Posted : May 6, 2021
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Chronic Pain | Other: Music recording Other: Mindfulness recording | Not Applicable |
Neither acupuncture nor mindfulness have been studied with respect to chronic pain in an outpatient integrative health (IH) oncology clinic in the USA. Likewise, the combination of acupuncture and mindfulness combined as not been studied. Given that both acupuncture and mindfulness have demonstrated some analgesic relief in an acute pain setting, each merit study for pain relief in an outpatient setting.
The investigators are evaluating the impact of two different acupuncture approaches for patients reporting chronic pain. Acupuncture will be provided by a Licensed Acupuncturist for patients reporting chronic pain. Participants will be randomized to one of two treatments - acupuncture as usual or acupuncture plus mindfulness.
The investigators will collect data regarding chronic pain, interoceptive awareness, emotion regulation, and acceptability. The study is open to participants with any etiology and any location of chronic pain.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 30 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Triple (Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Health Services Research |
Official Title: | Acupuncture Combined With Mindfulness in the Context of Chronic Pain |
Actual Study Start Date : | September 1, 2019 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | May 3, 2021 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | May 3, 2021 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: Acupuncture + mindfulness
Participants will receive acupuncture treatment for chronic pain. After acupuncture needles have been inserted, participants will listen to a 15-minute mindfulness recording followed by music for 30 minutes. Acupuncture needles will then be removed.
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Other: Mindfulness recording
Participants will listen to a recording of mindfulness for 15 minutes and then listen to music for 30 minutes while they rest with acupuncture needles in place. |
Acupuncture control
Participants will receive acupuncture treatment for chronic pain. After acupuncture needles have been inserted, participants will listen music for 45 minutes. Acupuncture needles will then be removed.
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Other: Music recording
Participants will listen to music for 45 minutes while they rest with acupuncture needles in place. |
- Questions Regarding Pain and Other Symptoms [ Time Frame: 2 months ]A questionnaire regarding pain as well as physical and mental awareness. A Likert scale 0-10 is used, where 0 is classified as "not at all" and 10 is classified "very much." Higher values are a worse outcome with questions 7-9 reverse scored.
- Nondual Awareness Dimensional Assessment [ Time Frame: 2 months ]A questionnaire regarding nondual awareness. Scored on a 10-point Likert scale (1=Not at all, 10=Very Much), higher values are a better outcome.
- State Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [ Time Frame: 2 months ]A questionnaire regarding emotional awareness. Scored on a 5 point Likert scale (1=not at all, 5=completely), higher values are a better outcome.
- Sensation Manikin [ Time Frame: 2 months ]A map of the body used to identify and measure areas of pleasant and unpleasant sensations.
- Retrospective Chart Review [ Time Frame: 3 month ]To discover pain medications taken by participant in the last 90 days, including opioid dose (to be converted into morphine milligram equivalent, MME).
- State Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness-2 [ Time Frame: 2 months ]A questionnaire regarding interoceptive awareness. Scored on a 6-point Likert scale (0=never, 5=always), higher values are a better outcome.
- Acupuncture Questions [ Time Frame: 2 months ]A questionnaire regarding changes in sensations experienced during the AT. This is scored on a 6-point Likert scale (0=not at all, 5=to all the time/every location), higher values are a better outcome.
- Acceptability Questions [ Time Frame: 1 day ]A questionnaire regarding the acceptability of the AT. This is scored on a 5 point Likert scale (1=completely disagree, 5=completely agree), higher values are a better outcome.
- Qualitative Inquiry [ Time Frame: 1 day ]A questionnaire regarding experiences during the AT. This consists of free response questions.
- Qualitative Interoceptive Awareness and Emotional Regulation [ Time Frame: 1 day ]A questionnaire regarding changes experienced since AT. This consists of open ended text questions.
- Quantitative questions [ Time Frame: 1 day ]A questionnaire regarding overall health since AT. Questions 1-3 are scored on a Likert scale 0-10 is used where 0 is classified as "not at all" and 10 is classified "very much" with higher values indicating a better score and question 1 is reverse scored. Questions 4-8 are measured on a 5 point Likert scale (1=not at all, 5=completely) with higher values indicating a better outcome. Question 9 is scored on a 1-5 Likert scale with lower values indicating a better outcome. Questions 10-19 are scored on a 3 point Likert scale with higher values indicating a better outcome.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patient is age 18 or older.
- Patient is experiencing pain (rated ≥3 on a 0-10 scale) lasting for three or more months.
- Able to provide informed consent and willing to sign an approved consent form that conforms to federal and institutional guidelines.
- ONLY FOR THOSE WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER: ECOG status of 0 (asymptomatic), 1 (symptomatic but completely ambulatory) or 2 (symptomatic, <50% in bed during the day).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patient has received 5 or more acupuncture treatments in the last 2 months.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT04089319
United States, Utah | |
Huntsman Cancer Institute | |
Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, 84112 |
Principal Investigator: | Lisa Taylor-Swanson, PhD, MAcOM | University of Utah College of Nursing | |
Study Director: | Annie Budhathoki, LAc, DAOM | Huntsman Cancer Institute | |
Study Director: | Eric Garland | University of Utah College of Social Work, Huntsman Cancer Institute | |
Study Director: | Shelley White, PhD(C), MSW | Huntsman Cancer Institute |
Responsible Party: | Lisa J Taylor-Swanson, Assistant Professor, University of Utah |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT04089319 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
00108827 |
First Posted: | September 13, 2019 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | May 6, 2021 |
Last Verified: | May 2021 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Plan Description: | Individual data is not useful data at this stage. |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Chronic Pain Acupuncture Mindfulness Interoceptive Awareness |
Chronic Pain Pain Neurologic Manifestations |