WHO endores acupuncture?

[jonb]

I think there is some evidence that acupuncture, is occasionally an effective treatment, with better outcomes than than just a placebo would produce. When my sister did her nursing exams in the sixties, it was recognised as a system of pain relief. You don't have to buy into all the Chinese mumbo jumbo though, if you think of the needle interfering with the messages passing through the nerves a lot of the effects become a lot more creditable.

Interestingly Otzi the 4000 year old iceman of the Alps may have undergone acupuncture as a treatment. If that is so it dates to before the Chinese are supposed to have discovered it.


http://www.archaeologiemuseum.it/en/node/262

[Mystical]

All I know about acupuncture is what I've seen while in the ER for my own issues. Women (most of the time) being wheeled in screaming out their vocal cords nothing intelligible..happened a couple times, and I've heard worse stories through merely conversing to waste time with the nurses. When I ask the nurse of course they can't tell me anything about the specifics, but one said, "lets just say never get acupuncture. happens all the time." You may ask, how is it possible for me to see these cases in one place so often? Two words. Rich, neighborhood. Acupuncturists on every corner.

That was enough for me

I'm not saying it isn't worth looking in to, by any means. I just think if it can be so damaging it needs an actual physician carrying out the procedure or something. Oh and btw I've found far more healing power with the magnetic machines that are out there..There's some that help your healing ability through currents, usually found at a sports medicine doctor. There's another table treatment you can get (or buy for your home for 2k) that cancels out all negative currents and charges you with all positive ones, thus replenishing your healing capability in theory. This magnetic bed I found, removed narcotic withdrawls for hours after a 20min treatment! There's even one machine that can cure allergies, and I've seen it work on numerous family members on simple allergies like metal allergy. I'll call my chiropractor to see what it was called tomorrow.. I seriously wish they would look into this type of non-invasive technology first! Oh but yes, I forgot, it works so that wouldn't do one bit, would it?

[CapnAwesome]

I think there is some evidence that acupuncture, is occasionally an effective treatment, with better outcomes than than just a placebo would produce. When my sister did her nursing exams in the sixties, it was recognised as a system of pain relief. You don't have to buy into all the Chinese mumbo jumbo though, if you think of the needle interfering with the messages passing through the nerves a lot of the effects become a lot more creditable.

Interestingly Otzi the 4000 year old iceman of the Alps may have undergone acupuncture as a treatment. If that is so it dates to before the Chinese are supposed to have discovered it.


http://www.archaeologiemuseum.it/en/node/262

The thing about the studies into acupuncture is that it indeed was more effective than placebo, but it didn't matter where you put the needles. The 'correct' placement according to the acupuncturists produced no better results in pain relief than the incorrect placement. The whole industry is a fraud, the schools teaching about qi disruptment are just teaching mumbo jumbo. You can put the needles wherever you like and produce the same results, likely because the pain releases serotonin which is its own pain reliever. Also being an old treatment does not equal being a good treatment, elsewise we'd still be bleeding people.

[Minimalist]

Interestingly Otzi the 4000 year old iceman of the Alps may have undergone acupuncture as a treatment.

Didn't help. He's still dead.

[jonb]

Interestingly Otzi the 4000 year old iceman of the Alps may have undergone acupuncture as a treatment.

Didn't help. He's still dead.

Yes but he does have a better than average 4000 year old body- smirk.


capnawesome
I have no idea, if there is an effect it seems to me it is worth study. Personally I am more reliant on drugs for pain relief, but I am happy to keep a fairly open mind. . . ish.

[Cinjin]

"Doc I have a constant case of hemorrhoids that your prescription just doesn't seem to take care of."

...

"Wait what?! You want to put that big fucking needle WHERE?!?!"

[pocaracas]

My 2 cens worth...
My wife was an asthmatic. The kind that needed to carry an inhaler around with her.
Then, at the suggestion of her father's friend, she underwent acupuncture to try to deal with this nasty problem.... worth a try, no?
This happened before I met her, over 15 years ago.
After that, she never had any more asthma attacks, nothing.... well, she became a bit extra allergic to dust, which causes a uber-production of snot, but it's much more manageable than asthma.
Now, she considers herself an asthmatic with no episodes for 15 years and counting.

Placebo?
I don't know....

[KichigaiNeko]

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.

WTF are you on about?? Endores? = Loves?

As far as my limited knowledge can take me...

For some people acupuncture works..Why? How the fuck should I know??

Has there been any in depth scientific studies and theory postulated? how the fuck should I know?!

[killybob]

My 2 cens worth...
My wife was an asthmatic. The kind that needed to carry an inhaler around with her.
Then, at the suggestion of her father's friend, she underwent acupuncture to try to deal with this nasty problem.... worth a try, no?
This happened before I met her, over 15 years ago.
After that, she never had any more asthma attacks, nothing.... well, she became a bit extra allergic to dust, which causes a uber-production of snot, but it's much more manageable than asthma.
Now, she considers herself an asthmatic with no episodes for 15 years and counting.

Placebo?
I don't know....

Yes, it probably was a placebo effect. Asthma is the result of an over active immune response, where the mucus glands in your lungs make too much mucus when it comes into contact with just a little dust or other small particles. The immune system is partly controlled by the brain, usually the Hypothalamus, which tells the pituitary gland what hormones to release. These hormones then trigger different glands in the body to produce (or stop producing) whatever it is they make. If the woman truly believed she would be cured by acupuncture, or her subconscious mind did at least, then it is easily conceivable that the procedure could have gotten rid of her asthma.
Why her inhaler didn't produce similar effects, like the acupuncture, is not clear. Perhaps humans have a disposition to believe superstitious nonsense over real remedies. If that is so, then it would explain a fucking lot about society, eh?

[Anomalocaris]

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.

What evidence of your credentials do your present to support your implicit assertion that your second guessing the professional judgement of WHO is worth listening to?