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Chronic back pain sufferers sometimes try acupuncture to find relief. Now, researchers report that two kinds of acupuncture, and even an acupuncture simulation using toothpicks, proved more helpful to patients than more traditional replica omegatreatments, such as medications and visits to doctors or physical therapists.Researchers led by Daniel C. Cherkin of the Center for Health Studies in Seattle tested three kinds of acupuncture - the first tailored to an individual, the second a more standardized method, and a third in which toothpicks in thin plastic tubes were used to mimic the use of needles at key acupuncture points. The surface pressurefake watches of the toothpicks stimulated the skin, but did not pierce it.The test subjects, 638 adults, were randomly assigned to receive 10 treatments of each of the three acupuncture treatments. After eight weeks, six months, and a year, the patients were asked to rate their symptoms and function.All three kinds of acupuncture - individualized, standardized, and the toothpick treatment - provided better results than more traditional care, the participants said.Possible explanations were put forth for how the toothpicks could produce positive results. One was that superficial stimulation of the skin works as well as needles, the researchers said. Or perhaps patients felt better because of their therapists' conviction, their own enthusiasm, or their belief that the acupuncture would work.