In today’s Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/07/24/does-acupuncture-work-chronic-pain/
My comment…
The brain, with it’s 600,000,000,000,000 (six hundred trillion) synapses and mysterious spinal cord, is much more capable and complex than what our minds, which only use *some* of those synapses, can comprehend. I’m willing to keep an open mind. As a first-line treatment for anything, especially where we have known cures (like infections or fractures), well, that’s a probably not the best idea. But for those who’ve failed other treatments, acupuncture seems a low cost possibility. If it doesn’t work, little lost.
There are several commenters here who seem determined to debunk acupuncture. I wonder what is motivating their persistence?
Me, I’ve never tried it. I am a (retired) MD, and tried to practice evidence-based medicine. I do not think acupuncturists are snake-oil salesmen or quacks. I know someone right now in a five-year training program. As well as learning meridians and points, they spend a lot of time on “western” anatomy and physiology.
A lot of “alternative” health care practitioners provide value to their patients by simply spending more time with them, and taking their concerns seriously. That alone has a significant therapeutic effect which has been documented. Who doesn’t want a doctor with a good bedside manner?