Randomization, allocation, and blinding
RECRUITMENT
After signing the informed consent, a total of 64 eligible participants will be stratified by recruitment sites [UCI (n = 34) or CHOC (n = 30)] and randomized in random blocks of four or six to receive either weekly vEA or weekly sEA. The practitioner who will perform the acupuncture treatment will then provide that intervention to the participant. The participants, outcome assessors, and statisticians will be blinded to the treatment allocation. Acupuncturist blinding cannot be achieved due to the nature of the intervention.