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Old 08-30-2001, 02:51 PM  
Rob Roy
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 87
What is your purpose in going? The benefits will depend upon the nature of the problem.

Like anything else -- if you believe that acupuncture will work, and if you fork over money for the treatment, and if it is somewhat discomforting to go through and/or inconvenient, then it will "work" for a variety of problems in the sense that you will feel that you've gotten somewhat better.
In other words -- a placebo effect. Which is fine, and could even be worth the money.

More controversial is whether acupuncture (being stuck with needles in various places) works better than other placebo treatments for the control of pain, nausea, asthma, etc. It might -- but the evidence is not as strong as most people think. But since it does not harm (except perhaps to your pocketbook) the downside risk is not very great (but don't skip chemotherapy to take acupunture treatments).

Then we get to the issue of whether it actually matters whether the needles are placed exactly where the acupuncture guides say they need to be placed. Very little evidence for this.

Finally, there is the issue of the explanation for acupuncture benefits (if there really are any). The technique itself is supposedly based upon "Qi" or "Chi" a vague kind of internal energy that has never been objectively measured or identified. However, even if there is no such thing as "Qi", acupuncture could still work for other reasons.

Hope you feel better soon, whatever you do
Rob
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