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Do you suffer from chronic pain? Maybe acupuncture is just what the doctor ordered. Millions of people say that acupuncture has alleviated their suffering and boosted their bodies, but others insist that it's more rooted in belief than scientific fact. Is acupuncture really the cure for what ails you, or does it only turn you into a human pincushion?
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Acupuncture is a Pre-Scientific Superstition
Superstition
And yet willow bark tea was also a "Pre-Scientific Superstition." Science-based medicine is still an embarrassingly pragmatic operation, and we do not truly understand why many of our accepted treatments work, especially in the area of pain perception. I'd love to hear a scientific explanation of why anesthesia works. We use it because it does work, and it is scientifically proven to work, but we don't always know why. It is accurate to say that acupuncture has not held up in scientific trials, but don't argue against it on the basis that its proponents don't know how it works.
Every time a physician gets on the high horse about how great our knowledge is, and then gets proven even slightly wrong, it undercuts the public trust in both medicine and science. You suffer from a lack of humility while standing at the edge of a sea of undiscovered knowledge.
- Adam Hammond
September 4, 2008 4:34PM
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Fallacious arguments
Mr. Hammond, your argument is off topic. Other things that are proven to work have no bearing on acupuncture.
The acupuncturist's task, here, is quite simple- cite high-quality research published in high-quality medical journals that support the use of acupuncture for any ailment. That does not prove "acupuncture works," except in the case of that particular ailment; but it is a start. (Take note that a single publication, even if it stands up to scrutiny, is rarely convincing.)
What physicians feel or think is also irrelevant. What is known is all that counts, and there is no experimental support for the use of acupuncture.
- JJM
September 5, 2008 2:03AM
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Arrogance
You can call me Adam, or Dr. Hammond, and I did not attempt any proof of acupuncture. My point is that your lack of humility is damaging to our side, the side of rational thought.
- Adam Hammond
September 5, 2008 6:47AM
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apologies to JJM
I do mean Dr. Novella's arrogance, not yours. I did not find the JJM post arrogant, nor damaging to the side of rational thought.
- Adam Hammond
September 5, 2008 7:10AM
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Different Worlds
Won't you acknowledge that there is a strong prejudice on the part of western medicine against TCM? I remember how even as late as ten years ago, "traditional" herbal medicines were a laughing stock by many physicians, but today have gained some semblance of acceptance. It seems to me that it took a long time before the medical establishment allowed for "high-quality research published in high-quality medical journals" to be produced on the topic of some 'traditional' herbal remedies, therefore why is it a surprise that few have yet to emerge on acupuncture?
I too wish to see such studies on acupuncture. However, I also recognize that the western medical establishment is slow to change, inflexible when it comes to differing paradigms, and holds deep prejudices against notions that fall outside of its predefined realm.
We can talk about the scientific method all day, but we all know that there are a myriad of competing interests in the medical establishment the prevent it from being an altruistic pursuit of science; interests that often exclude traditional herbal treatments, nutrition as the best form of prevention, and TCM, in part because they all don't utilize the latest and greatest medical surgeries or wonder drugs. Is it any surprise why it's difficult for a drastically different medical perspective to even be given the chance to prove itself under the standards predefined by the western medical establishment?
- etbarker
December 18, 2008 12:02PM
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Knowledge evolves...
Our knowledge evolves and that's fine - knowledge in science that is. In TCM, knowledge does not evolve but adheres to outdated philosophies of chi etc.
- Edzard Ernst
September 15, 2008 3:28AM
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