RE: WHO endores acupuncture?
January 22, 2013 at 5:54 pm
(This post was last modified: January 22, 2013 at 5:57 pm by killybob.)
(January 22, 2013 at 5:36 pm)CapnAwesome Wrote: Apparently the World Health Organization has a whole list of diseases that it approves acupuncture as a treatment for.
http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js...#Js4926e.5
What's the problem with this? Well.... acupuncture is based on the idea that disease is caused by the disruption of qi, or your life energy, and that acupuncture points correct this balance. Great, except that there is no qi, this is medieval medicine that has been thrust upon the modern world. Numerous studies have been done where 'incorrect' acupuncture points have been done, and all of them have come to the same conclusion: Placebo affect.
The world health organization endorsing something like this is irresponsible, dangerous, and results in them losing significant credibility when it comes to real science.
Acupuncture is one of the few new age treatments that actually apply force or physical substance to the human. It is not inconceivable that the needles could cause some physiological effects to take place in the body. For example, as the needles are placed around the point of injury, the body may be alerted by the presence of the needles, and actually, the immune response resulting from that could divert its efforts away from the needles, which would have been removed, and actually start to work on the injury itself.
Although what I've just written is entirely hypothetical, it may serve as an explanation if legitimate studies show that acupuncture surpasses the expected levels that would imply a placebo effect.
Of course, even though acupuncture is almost 100% bullshit, it is still fucking relaxing!
And at least it's more convincing that lying on a flat-bed under pretty a row of rainbow coloured crystals, or having someone creepy touch you up, looking for spiritual tightness. (not implying that the ideas behind it are in the least bit convincing, of course)
