Acupuncture - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

http://facebook.com/ScienceReason ... Benedikt Matenaer with his talk "Acupuncture: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly", World Skeptics Congress 2012 in Berlin. Introduction by Willem Betz.

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Benedikt Matenaer, MD, anaesthesiologist, pain therapist, specialist in palliative care medicine; works in a palliative care unit of a hospital and in own practice; member of the examination board of the medical council Westfalen-Lippe for "palliative care", B-diploma in acupuncture.

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Alluding to the famous Clint Eastwood western, this presentation deals with the various facets of this popular therapy: the current state of research, the success, and the excesses of the acupuncture as an economic enterprise in the German health system. The important question, however, is whether anyone needs a special training for that, in particular in China, or is the success of acupuncture due to unspecific effects?

After all, if it doesn't matter where one puts the needles: is it OK then that acupuncture treatments are refundable by the public health insurances? Is it compatible with the medical associations' rules for continuing education to offer and acknowledge a pseudo-education as a special qualification? Why are physicians required to apply evidence-based medicine on the one hand, whereas acupuncture -- a procedure with unknown mechanisms -- is granted entry into the public health system on the other hand?

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World Skeptics Congress: Promoting Science and Critical Thinking in a World of Uncertainty.

Why do people turn to pseudoscience for help? What makes alternative medicine so attractive - and how can we find out what really works? Why is it so difficult for us to deal with risk and uncertainty in a rational way? Can we teach children to think critically and scientifically? And how can academic disciplines like biology or psychology protect themselves from pseudoscientific contamination?

The 6th World Skeptics Congress in Berlin was an intellectually stimulating three-day event dealing with paranormal and supernatural claims, fringe science issues, and scams. Major topics at this event were science and pseudoscience in education, in particular anti-evolution claims and origin myths, and the problems of risk and benefit assessment, especially in alternative medicine.

Gerd Antes, Wim Betz, Johan Braeckman, Edzard Ernst, Chris French, Luigi Garlaschelli, Harriet Hall, Ray Hyman, Chris Mooney, Simon Perry, Massimo Polidoro, James Randi, Gita Sahgal, Eugenie Scott, Simon Singh, Samantha Stein, Kylie Sturgess, Rebecca Watson and Tomasz Witkowski are just some of the world-renowned presenters who took part, taking apart the claims and conspiracies of the modern world.

• http://www.worldskeptics.org/
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• http://www.facebook.com/gwup.org

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Tags: acupuncture complementary alternative placebo medicine homeopathy therapy treatments health system palliative care cure science pseudoscience education skeptical rational critical thinking skepticism world skeptics congress 2012 berlin
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• Category

  Education

[corydorastube]

Well done 8 posts of incomprehensible word salad.

[jfbongarcon]

Obviously he is still completely ignorant after 350 hours. And he is clearly unhealthy.

[greekshooter62]

i just wanted to reduce smoking not to stop it.the acupuncturist also stuck needles in many parts of my body because he said for general health without being asked to he very fast stuck the needles.he put needles in my face wrists in my head in my legs feet in my chest everywhere my life has been ruined.what to do?sorry for my poor english.also i have inside tremor.before the acupuncture i was health and now a wreck.

[M. Brown]

What is qi? What evidence do we have for it? Answer: nothing other than anecdotal experience. You know what also falls in that category of available evidence? ghosts, alien abductions, etc. Virtually all forms of pseudoscience. The scientific method is important and respected not because it makes claims without evidence, but because it is the only effective method for discovering objective truth. So far, qi has not been supported by empirical evidence, thus we can dismiss it until it has been.

[M. Brown]

For many people with real pain, especially nerve pain like yours, acupuncture has been anecdotally effective. Hence its popularity. However, the fact that you have not had positive effects, and the fact that a large amount of people receiving acupuncture treatments do not actually benefit from it SHOULD cause most rational and scientifically literate people to question the efficacy of acupuncture as treatment for pain. I'm glad more research is being done on acupuncture for your sake and others.

[M. Brown]

Is this true. Have you ever attempted to document yourself and your experiences?

[M. Brown]

I'd like to see that superhuman monk be subjected to peer reviewed studies so that we may actually determine whether or not he truly can resist a drill attempting to penetrate his skin. Until that happens, we can dismiss it as a grandiose claim that is hard to test because of ethical dilemmas. Those who are making claims carry the burden of proof, otherwise we are all just mumbling idiots all claiming that everyone elses claims are stupid.

[M. Brown]

How is it obvious? How about you address his points and attempt to argue them instead of casually dismissing this physicians' entire presentation.

[FusionAcupuncture Voon]

What was your problem before acupuncture? How long was your problem?

[NikkouDaisuke]

What's curious to me is that my dog has been in extreme pain and unable to stand or walk for 50 days now, in spite of large doses of antibiotics and multiple pain medications. Two of the best days he's had... less pain and some brief standing and even walking a few steps--were the day a vet did acupuncture on him and the day after. I know nothing about Chi, and am pretty sure he doesn't either.

[greekshooter62]

Αcupuncture has ruined my lif ever since i had done it 2 years ago i have constant dizzyness nausea sore throat extreme anxiety.