Acupuncture for irritable bowel syndrome comorbid with anxiety and depression: study protocol for a placebo run-in, randomized clinical trial

BackgroundGastrointestinal and psychological symptoms jointly motivate patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to seek medical care, with the latter often exacerbating the difficulty of achieving overall improvement. Although acupuncture has been shown to improve gastrointestinal symptoms in the general IBS population, the evidence in individuals with psychological disturbances remains insufficient.MethodsThis will be a placebo run-in, randomized controlled trial. After the 1-week sham acup