Acupuncture or MBSR for Patients With Fatigue and MS

In multiple sclerosis, fatigue is the most common clinical symptom, reported by up to 97% of patients. No successful evidence-based therapy exists so far. The main aim of this trial is to evaluate whether additional acupuncture or mindfulness-based stress reduction is more efficacious than usual care only to reduce fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis. We want to include 141 patients with multiple sclerosis and fatigue. Participants will be randomised into three groups to compare 1) usual care, 2) usual care plus standardised acupuncture, and 3) usual care plus mindfulness-based stress reduction. Treatment duration will be 12 weeks. The primary outcome is the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) after 12 weeks, follow-up measurement will be performed after 26 weeks. Secondary outcomes include other fatigue specific parameters, other MS specific parameters, cost, and physiological, immunological and functional magnetic resonance imaging parameters.