Michael Shermer Tests Acupuncture

One of the oldest forms of so-called alternative or complementary medicine is the ancient Chinese art of acupuncture, now claimed by many to be a science. Michael Shermer goes in search of what is behind acupuncture through interviews and getting himself poked!

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• Acupuncture
• Alternative
• Medicine

[Ronin6575]

@lapmarty The latest studies ( there are many ) including tracking the meridians and acu points using simple electronic testing equipment similar to an ohm meter that will detect differences in electrical conductance on the skin. It has shown that acupoints are more or less sensitive than non acupoints. That aside, the Chinese have quite a lot of research on the effects of stimulating areas on the surface of the body and getting changes in pain sensitivity as well as internal function.

[blade0817]

Wow, this is an old video, since then there are a lot of supporting scientific evidence showing the functionality of acupuncture, most notably fMRI imaging that clearly demonstrates brain responses to the appropriate treatment methods. More and more MDs refer their patients to OMDs (Oriental Medical Doctors), more clinics and hospitals employ acupuncturists and their local clinical trials show considerable reduction of time in healing.

[blade0817]

Placebo effects are eliminated, pediatric and veterinary acupuncture has the same effect as adults. Babies just a few months old as well as animals heal at the same rate, immediately after treatment. Most illnesses treated with acupuncture are chronic (long standing) and these babies and animals heal right after treatment.

I'd like to have an explanation to this from one of those 'I know everything' people.

[cuevarap]

Of course the placebo effect exists baffling doctors & pharmacists in every medical field. But to say that acupuncture works via P.E. is a mediocre comment proving absolute ignorance about this healing method. Not even endorphin secretion can explain the effect of painless thin needles placed in distant & non anatomically connected sites.

[blade0817]

Funny how an ancient method is slowly being proven to work with modern devices and the 'brilliant mind' and 'know it all' individuals - such as this Dr. Wallace Sampson - are being proven wrong with their own devices.

'The soft and yielding lives on. The hard and forceful dies." -Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher ca. 550 BC.

[blade0817]

@beforever TCMD schools are 4 years (full time) for the masters degree with 2 years clinical, then you have to pass a national board exam - you can only try five times in your entire life! - then an additional 2 years for the OMD (Oriental Medical Doctor) degree and year and a half to two years for Ph.D. This is very close to the same model as for Western MDs - except MDs have only three tires at the board exam.

[blade0817]

@lapmarty Actually scientific evidence supports the functionality and effectiveness of acupuncture, read my recent posts on MRI/fMRI image testing by major medical institutions - including Harvard Medical School.

If you post messages without doing researches and supporting your thesis you do the same exact thing you're trying to stand up against and easy to disprove.

[blade0817]

MRI imaging showed that puncturing point Hegu (a major headache reliving point on the hand) with an acupuncture needle has reduced up to 70% (!) of pain response in the brain - announced by the Radiological Society of North America on their 85th annual meeting. The data was also viewed at the Harvard Medical School which after the review announced: "The data is very impressive, this shows there really is something going on there".

Many other scientific researches are already available.

[blade0817]

@martyaus2905 We figured you would.

[Cinqmil]

Question: How can you examine someone with an MRI scan when he has needles stuck in him?