Table 2: Publications in which the diagnostic criteria for identification of patients with IBS were stated.
| Procedure | Language | Type of Study | Number of Patients | Male /Female |
| Acupuncture | ||||
| [11] | English | RCT with sham acupuncture | 25 | - |
| [12] | English | RCT with sham acupuncture | 79 | 64 (81%) |
| [14] | English | RCT with sham acupuncture | 43 | 34 (79%) |
| [15] | English | RCT with sham acupuncture | 153 | 153(100%) |
| [16] | English | RCT with sham and with mebeverine | 60 | 49(82%) |
| [17] | English | Randomised investigation of neurological effects of acupuncture | 30 | 15(50%) |
| [18] | Chinese | RCT with pinaverium | 63 | - |
| [19] | English | RCT with sham acupuncture | 42 | 42 (100%) |
| [20] | English | Open study of acupuncture alone | 7 | - |
| [13] | English | RCT with sham acupuncture | 60 | 39(65%) |
| [21] | English | RCT of acupuncture compared to standard treatment | 233 | 188 (81%) |
| Moxibustion | ||||
| [22] | English | Randomised investigation of neurological effects of acupuncture | 33 | - |
| Acupuncture/Moxibustion | ||||
| [23] | English | Randomised comparison of neurological effects of acupuncture and moxibustion | 60 | - |
| [24] | English | RCT of acupuncture compared to moxibustion | 85 | - |
| [25] | English | RCT of acupuncture compared to moxibustion | 82 | 51 (62%) |