New Study Exposes Acupuncture As Pseudoscience

by alecholmesthedetective 70 Replies latest social current

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  hamsterbait

  So how do we dismiss MAINSTREAM doctors in China performing surgery using acupuncture instead of aneasthetics.

  WHO exactly did this study, who was it funded by and what alternative were the (nodoubt) pharmaceuticals firms pushing as an alternative?

  Acupuncture certainly alters the brain's perception of the body. it has been used for bowel problems and depression, very effectively.

  It is a discipline so old it was being practised in China when we in the west still thought that leeches would balance the four humors.

  The energy flow theory behind it may not really be the explanation, but western doctors dont understand it either.
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  hamsterbait

  OH and I forgot "QI" means energy, it is not a type of energy. Dont nerves use ELECTRICAL ENERGY? It took the west long enought to find that out too.
• 

  Mickey mouse

  Double blind trials are fine for pharmacological treatments but it's impossible to test other forms of therapy in this way.
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  fulltimestudent

  This list from ScienceDaily ( a scientific paper consolidator) give the results from a number of studies trialling the use of acupuncture, as in this study:

  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131213092854.htm

  And, here is a list of reports published on the site that show a variety of results:

  http://www.sciencedaily.com/search/?keyword=acupuncture

  My personal experience is that the final result may depend on the skill of the person performing the needle insertion. You only have to miss the acupuncture point by (say a centimentre) and you will not achieve any benefit.
• 

  alecholmesthedetective

  There is no such thing as "alternative medicine".

  ^^^^^^^^^Yes^^^^^^^^^^

  
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  hamsterbait

  Fulltime - I know an acupucturist :

  The exams are very critical - Miss ONE point and you fail totally and have to resit. Also if you miss a point by a cm the patient would be in PAIN.

  Try sticking pins in yourself and see!!
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  alecholmesthedetective

  Besides the links about more studies on this subject provided by others, and the ones in the article, here are some more for those interested.

  Effects of acupuncture, acupressure, electroacupuncture, and moxibustion

  Acupuncture for Migraine

  Acupuncture--a critical analysis
• 

  freeflyingfaerie

  I'll consider myself a case study for my own experiments...

  As far as acupuncture, there is some value to it. I found instant relief for one symptom, and absolutely none for another. And I wanted it to work both times. How acupuncture works, I don't really understand, but it can work sometimes.

  Just because we don't understand how something works, doesn't mean it doesn't work. Just because people assign 'majical' names to something doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't work legitimately.
• 

  freeflyingfaerie

  cofty~ does your chart imply that there are no therapeutic effects with aromatherapy or shiatsu?

  Of course, one's expectations play into it, but haven't you ever felt more relaxed/energized/etc by inhaling certain aromas? Have you ever experienced relief of muscle tension with shiatsu ( which is simply Japanese for 'finger pressure') or some other form of acupressure/massage? Some people do get very involved in ideology and such with certain treatments, but it isn't fair to excuse them as complete nonsense. The effects of such treatments can be simply quite powerful/potent.
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  alecholmesthedetective

  I am not sure I buy it. It's one study, with one condition.

  It's not.

  WHO exactly did this study, who was it funded by and what alternative were the (nodoubt) pharmaceuticals firms pushing as an alternative?

  Just because people assign 'majical' names to something doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't work legitimately.

  Read the article/additional links please?