The question isn't whether it is trivial, with respect, it is whether it is statistically significant. And the answer is, no it isn't. But the difference between the needle therapy and the conventional therapy is statistically significant.
One thing that may be happening - and I suspect it probably is - is that both the needle patients, acupuncture and non, were getting a placebo effect, and it is caused by the huge and powerful mystique that acupuncture has had built up around it over the last 30 years. All of them expected to benefit, so a lot of them did.
If you know of double blind studies showing acupuncture is effective, point us to them. All I am aware of is anecdotal evidence.
...such as the idiot referred to above, saying 'a billion chinese can't be wrong'.
He'll be authorising the importation of bear bile then, presumably, along with all the other chinese medicines that require the slaughter of endangered species...
The "sham" acupunture involved insertin needles near the back bone, and it produced a perceivable benefit. The "real" acupunture must have had the needles inserted in the locality, and, in this case, had only a marginal improvement.
Where needles are inserted in "real" acupunture to try and affect areas more distant from the area of pain then, presumably, accuracy in hitting a point "connected" to that pain area could be expected to have a bigger effect.
By just folowing the links I came across evidence that there is more than a placebo effect going on. These scientists looked at the brain reaction.
BBC NEWS | Health | Acupuncture 'more than a placebo'
Pickpockets use the fact that a sensation in one area masks the sensation in another. It is more than likely that the brain responds far more to any sensation of penetration of the skin rather than a dull ache.
3 times I have gone to get acupuncture for a strained neck. The kind that allows you to look to one side but a killer to turn the head to the other side (so the shoulders turn, much like a washing machine movement!) Anyway, I did not go in with any expectations on the first occasion and it felt like a miracle (Touch by God). I walked out not more than an hour later and my washing machine movement gone! Then next two occasions were for the same injury. The 3 times I went were spread out over a 10 year period. I believe in acupuncture for injuries as it has worked for me.
To be fair, a lot of people have reported anecdotally on the effectiveness of "sticking needles in".
It's clear (to me) that the whole hippy quasi-religious "circulation of Qi, the meridian system, and the five phases theory" stuff is nonsense, and it's about as relevant to medical practice as any other religion - i.e. not. It's astrology, in other words.
What's not clear to me, however, is whether there's some actual underlying truth that "sticking needles in" can have some effectiveness, or whether it's all placebo effect.
And I'd still like to know about these other studies...
Let your mind go and your body will follow. – Steve Martin, LA Story
il see what i can find. although as already said on here - there have been studys into how it affects the brain.
however, like many people i always was sceptical and it wasnt until i started to do the course i realised it could be effective. I do believe it has its place but with injuries such as the recurrent neck injury someone else described, there must be an underlying cause which needs to be looked at too.
for me, i use acupuncture for pain relief and then i often use other techniques to treat the underlying condition. my patients are happy - esp if the relief they get from the acupuncture actually lets me assess things properly!!!
C x
If 27% who suffer ebola said they got better using coventional medicine
44% said they got better with a type of toe cheese
and 47% said they got better with the actual toe cheese you doubt
where would you go from there ?
Id say we need to improve the actual toe cheese
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