Just about any time you read about a study that was done using acupuncture, you'll hear about how they used "sham acupuncture" as the control. "Sham Acupuncture" is when they needle very shallowly in a location that isn't an acupuncture point. They do this to demonstrate how much of the effect of acupuncture is due to placebo. The addition of a control is integral to the scientific world to demonstrate how a procedure, medication or other therapy is effective beyond the changes that can be due to positive thinking. There's only one problem with this when it comes to acupuncture - there's no way to do fake acupuncture!
In Chinese medicine, anytime you insert a needle, there will be a change in the body, no matter if the point is a "real" point or not. Our energy field isn't limited to these little points on our bodies, those are simply the best access points to our energy.
So the next time you see a study with results that "are only slightly better than sham acupuncture," please read it with a grain of salt. Sham acupuncture is not a true control, and should not be confused for one, when writing the conclusions for a study.
I absolutely agree. I commented on this recently here: http://acuhealer.com/blog/wordpress/media-seems-confused-about-acupuncture/
ReplyDeleteWhat is really interesting is that both the sham and real acupuncture both worked better than medicine in the studies cited.