Acupuncture- Real or B.S.

[dissentowner]

Has anyone ever done this and was it effective? I have pain issues, migraines, ect... and wanted to pick the CP brain on this.

[To Be Quite Honest]

I have a friend who is a physiotherapist who does it. It works for her clients.

[bc-chris]

I've never tried acupuncture, but my sister has and swears by it.

[Locke]

Well. It exists, I know that much.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

[SeeBass]

it works on my dog


^what are the odds on that Cecil? at the same time

[burn_this_city]

It works, I quit smoking with laser acupuncture

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by SeeBass

it works on my dog


^what are the odds on that Cecil? at the same time

I was gonna say, is your dog name Brian by any chance?

[peter12]

I quit acupuncture with smoking.

[loob job]

My sisters a physio and she uses it on clients with good results.

[MickMcGeough]

I've had it several times rehabbing a shoulder injury. The pain I was experiencing was directly from spasming muscles, and the acupuncture was far more effective than any massage or drugs I tried. Like night and day more effective.

I don't know anything about how it works on migraines. I recommend going to a real physical therapist for it.

[troutman]

Placebo:

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...hlight=needles


http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?cat=8

http://www.quackwatch.org/01Quackery...opics/acu.html

Acupuncture studies have shown that it makes no difference where you put the needles. Or whether you use needles or just pretend to use needles (as long as the subject believes you used them). Many acupuncture researchers are doing what I call Tooth Fairy science: measuring how much money is left under the pillow without bothering to ask if the Tooth Fairy is real.

TCM theory and practice are not based upon the body of knowledge related to health, disease, and health care that has been widely accepted by the scientific community. TCM practitioners disagree among themselves about how to diagnose patients and which treatments should go with which diagnoses. Even if they could agree, the TCM theories are so nebulous that no amount of scientific study will enable TCM to offer rational care.

http://www.skepdic.com/acupuncture.html

http://www.ncahf.org/pp/acu.html


NCAHF believes:

1. Acupuncture is an unproven modality of treatment;
2. Its theory and practice are based on primitive and fanciful concepts of health and disease that bear no relationship to present scientific knowledge;
3. Research during the past twenty years has failed to demonstrate that acupuncture is effective against any disease;
4. Perceived effects of acupuncture are probably due to a combination of expectation, suggestion, counter- irritation, operant conditioning, and other psychological mechanisms;
5. The use of acupuncture should be restricted to appropriate research settings;
6. Insurance companies should not be required by law to cover acupuncture treatment; and
7. Licensure of lay acupuncturists should be phased out.

[Huntingwhale]

I heard it works, but I also heard it might not...

[TorqueDog]

Quackery. Much like homeopathy and all that.

[photon]

Most studies seem to show that it has an impact, but usually find no difference between real acupuncture and "sham" acupuncture, sham meaning they don't put the needles in the proper places, don't twirl them, etc.. basically trying to do bad acupuncture which if there was any merit to the real stuff then the difference would show up with fewer positive results. But there isn't much difference, and in some cases the sham acupuncture actually gets better results!

There are actually needles going into the skin, so one would expect the body to give some kind of response.. stimulating the opiod system, releasing endorphins and adrenaline and such, in the same way that injecting a patient with saline that the patient thinks is morphine will trigger production of those things. Good for short term relief of pain, but not much more.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?cat=8

EDIT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4508597.stm

Maybe you can get a discount and get fake acupuncture!

[CaptainCrunch]

Lead Cenobite: We have such sights to show you!

[TheSutterDynasty]

Originally Posted by photon

Most studies seem to show that it has an impact, but usually find no difference between real acupuncture and "sham" acupuncture, sham meaning they don't put the needles in the proper places, don't twirl them, etc.. basically trying to do bad acupuncture which if there was any merit to the real stuff then the difference would show up with fewer positive results. But there isn't much difference, and in some cases the sham acupuncture actually gets better results!

There are actually needles going into the skin, so one would expect the body to give some kind of response.. stimulating the opiod system, releasing endorphins and adrenaline and such, in the same way that injecting a patient with saline that the patient thinks is morphine will trigger production of those things. Good for short term relief of pain, but not much more.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?cat=8

EDIT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4508597.stm

Maybe you can get a discount and get fake acupuncture!

Editedit: Trout's links were very unclear. Acupuncture as a medical practice is quakery. As far as I know, acupuncture to relieve muscle stiffness/tightness is legit.

[Buff]

My wife does acupuncture and I would say that it works. However like any other sort of treatment, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another person.

She gave acupuncture to her cousin to help him stop smoking and it worked. He hated the taste of cigarettes. However it didn't stop her dad from being so stubborn and he kept on smoking.

I've been her practice dummy, and I've injured myself on many occasions (not intentionally) to give her even more practice. I've recently been having back pain, and acupuncture has helped. It has even helped me with headaches and colds. I had a knee problem for over a year that acupuncture didn't really help me with. I did feel pain relief, but I don't think the acupuncture helped make the problem go away, rest and proper exercises that she gave me is what solved that problem.

[ricoFlame]

It's real if you believe it. I'd never use it or any of that kinda crap, but whatev.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Buff

My wife does acupuncture and I would say that it works. However like any other sort of treatment, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another person.

She gave acupuncture to her cousin to help him stop smoking and it worked. He hated the taste of cigarettes. However it didn't stop her dad from being so stubborn and he kept on smoking.

I've been her practice dummy, and I've injured myself on many occasions (not intentionally) to give her even more practice. I've recently been having back pain, and acupuncture has helped. It has even helped me with headaches and colds. I had a knee problem for over a year that acupuncture didn't really help me with. I did feel pain relief, but I don't think the acupuncture helped make the problem go away, rest and proper exercises that she gave me is what solved that problem.

A cold? How on earth is accupuncture going to help rid you of a virus? That's preposterous.