Acupunture - pseudoscience?

[Minimalist]

And they never waste any time on religion.

[Aractus]

That's why placebos work under certain conditions.

No it isn't, no one know why the placebo effect works. It works even when the response is purely biochemical in the body. You can't control biomechanical processes by thought!

[vorlon13]

That's why placebos work under certain conditions.

No it isn't, no one know why the placebo effect works. It works even when the response is purely biochemical in the body. You can't control biomechanical processes by thought!

Well, here is a take on it I heard somewhere, probably back during HIV Buddy training:

Somebody is sick.

They're either gonna live, or they're gonna die.

Whatever you do, it will take some element of time.

If they got better, well, it worked.

If they died, well, you're probably too late.

[Doubting Thomas]

Somebody is sick.

They're either gonna live, or they're gonna die.

Whatever you do, it will take some element of time.

If they got better, well, it worked.

If they died, well, you're probably too late.

Sounds like what every woo practitioner says about their particular woo "medicine."

[vorlon13]

Yeppers

[brewer]

That's why placebos work under certain conditions.

No it isn't, no one know why the placebo effect works. It works even when the response is purely biochemical in the body. You can't control biomechanical processes by thought!

bold mine

What do you consider biomechanical?

I can control my heart rate by thought. I can control my blood pressure by thought. I can definitely control my breathing by thought. 

However, long term control is a pain in the ass.

[Pat Mustard]

No it isn't, no one know why the placebo effect works. It works even when the response is purely biochemical in the body. You can't control biomechanical processes by thought!

bold mine

What do you consider biomechanical?

I can control my heart rate by thought. I can control my blood pressure by thought. I can definitely control my breathing by thought. 

However, long term control is a pain in the ass.

You can control your arm picking up peas with a knife by a (series of) thought.

[brewer]

bold mine

What do you consider biomechanical?

I can control my heart rate by thought. I can control my blood pressure by thought. I can definitely control my breathing by thought. 

However, long term control is a pain in the ass.

You can control your arm picking up peas with a knife by a (series of) thought.

Oh, sure. Make fun of the amputee!






























Not really. hehehehehehehehe

[Edwardo Piet]

1. What makes you think it is pseudoscience?

Because it doesn't work.

The alternative to alternative medicine is called "medicine".

2. If it is pseudoscience, how does it help people?

It doesn't.

PLUH. SEE. BO. motherfuckingfect

[bennyboy]

Let me weigh in.

First of all, the placebo effect is not to be disregarded. It can cause a reduction of pain, and sometimes even things like clearing up of rashes and so on. This is because pain is a mental function, and the brain has some ability to maintain its state, because the brain is responsible for blood flow and so on. Psychological effects can reduce stress and anxiety, and if stress is reduced permanently, it can have a permanent and positive effect on a person's physiology.

So if someone has chronic pain, and goes to some alternative therapy (like acupuncture), and feels less pain, then that's great. That's a successful result.

The problem comes when temporary relief from symptoms is confused with a successful treatment of the underlying condition. If someone desperately needs knee surgery, but fails to get it because either through acupuncture or painkillers or other drugs they feel better, there's a problem-- the physical structure will continue to deteriorate, until loss of the knee's function demands emergency (and probably more expensive) surgery.