Questions about Acupuncture
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is acupuncture and does it actually work?
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine within traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body, most often to attempt pain relief. Trials and systematic reviews generally provide no good evidence of benefit, and it has been characterized as a pseudoscience and quackery. The only conditions with any evidence were shoulder pain and fibromyalgia, and even there the evidence was low quality or not clinically significant.
When and where did acupuncture originate?
Acupuncture is believed to have originated around 100 BC in China, around the time the Inner Classic of Huang Di, the Huangdi Neijing, was published. Gold and silver needles found in the tomb of Liu Sheng, dated to around 100 BC, are believed to be the earliest archaeological evidence, though their purpose is unclear.
Is acupuncture safe and what are the risks?
Acupuncture is generally safe when done by appropriately trained practitioners using clean technique and single-use needles, with a low rate of mostly minor adverse effects. Between 2000 and 2009-95 serious adverse events including five deaths were reported, with pneumothorax and infections the most frequent. Most serious events trace to malpractice rather than the procedure itself.
What are qi and meridians in acupuncture?
Qi is a claimed life force believed to flow from the body's primary organs to the skin, muscles, tendons, bones, and joints through channels called meridians. Acupuncture points sit mainly along these meridians. Scientific investigation has found no histological or physiological evidence for qi, meridians, or acupuncture points, and many modern practitioners no longer support their existence.
Why do scientists call acupuncture a placebo?
In efficacy trials, sham acupuncture using non-penetrating needles or non-acupuncture points generally produces the same effects as real acupuncture, and in some cases does better. A 2013 meta-analysis found little evidence that needle location, number, or practitioner experience changed the effect on pain. Acupuncture has been called a theatrical placebo.
How did acupuncture spread from China to Europe and the United States?
Acupuncture spread first to Korea around 514 AD, then to Japan through medical missionaries, and then to Europe beginning with France. Willem ten Rhijne coined the term acupuncture in his 1683 work De Acupunctura. After James Reston's 1971 article and Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, interest grew in the United States, where more than 14 million Americans had tried it by the early 2010s.