Does Acupuncture Work?

• “Yes”

  

  “Why Would Your Colleagues Be Drawn to Practicing QUACKERY?”

• “Objection”

  

  “Lame and False Argument From Authority”
  

Why Would Your Colleagues Be Drawn to Practicing QUACKERY?

Bill Reddy

American Association of Acupuncture...

Expert Verified | See Profile

Recommend (0) Comments (0)

Your argument in much of our debate is that a "rational-minded" professional with a strong background in the biological and hard sciences (an MD for instance) should have NOTHING to do with acupuncture, yet THOUSANDS of MDs practice acupuncture in this country. Maybe these physician acupuncturists also listen to their patients, make them feel valued, put on gentle music and be nice to them to encourage the placebo effect while lifting $100 per treatment from their collective wallets? (Yes. Typically physician acupuncturists charge more for their treatments than those Licensed Acupuncturists with fifteen times the training.)

It would be my supposition that these physicians find VALUE in acupuncture and are using it for the greater good of their patient base rather than writing useless prescriptions that have serious health-threatening side-effects.

I called the American Academy for Medical Acupuncture to find the exact number of physicians practicing, but the president was out of the country and no one else could even guess on the number.

Evidence

Link

American Academy for Medical Acupuncture

Next Argument

"Yes" Bill Reddy

• The WHO Supports the Use of Acupuncture in Treating Many Conditions
  4
• Those Who Question Scientific Basis Have Not Done Their Homework
  1
• A Proven System That is Less Dangerous Than Western Medicine
  2
• What About Common Sense Reasoning?
  0
• There ARE Limitations to Acupuncture
  0
• Should We Trust the #1 Ranked Medical School in This Country?
  0
• Insurance Coverage for Acupuncture is on the Rise
  0
• MRI's Don't Lie
  0
• You WANT Meta-Analyses? I GIVE You Meta-Analyses
  1
• Why Would Your Colleagues Be Drawn to Practicing QUACKERY?
  0

"No" Steven Novella MD

• Acupuncture is a Pre-Scientific Superstition
  1
• Acupuncture Lacks a Plausible Mechanism
  1
• Claims for Efficacy are Often Based Upon a Bait-and-Switch Deception
  3
• Clinical Trials Show That Acupuncture Does Not Work
  2

"No" Edzard Ernst

• The Ancient Chinese Theories are Not Correct
  1
• The Best Clinical Trials Fail to Demonstrate Effectiveness
  1
• Patients Experience Benefit Because of Placebo Effects
  1

Most Objections

• The WHO Supports the Use of Acupuncture in Treating Many Conditions
  4
• Those Who Question Scientific Basis Have Not Done Their Homework
  1
• A Proven System That is Less Dangerous Than Western Medicine
  2
• What About Common Sense Reasoning?
  0
• Acupuncture Lacks a Plausible Mechanism
  1
• The Ancient Chinese Theories are Not Correct
  1
• Patients Experience Benefit Because of Placebo Effects
  1
• Acupuncture is a Pre-Scientific Superstition
  1
• Clinical Trials Show That Acupuncture Does Not Work
  2
• Should We Trust the #1 Ranked Medical School in This Country?
  0
• Insurance Coverage for Acupuncture is on the Rise
  0
• MRI's Don't Lie
  0
• You WANT Meta-Analyses? I GIVE You Meta-Analyses
  1
• Why Would Your Colleagues Be Drawn to Practicing QUACKERY?
  0

Does Acupuncture Really Work?

• Yes
• No

View Results