Anyone had acupuncture ?

Emp_Fab

I went to a physio yesterday as I've been suffering with headaches at the back right of my head for months and apart from the manipulating and pushing me about, he gave me a little acupuncture - just four needles.  I'm not sure if it did anything mind.  I barely felt them going in and after ten mins he took them out again.

Anyone else had it, and did it work ?

octatonic

It doesn't work beyond being a theatrical placebo.

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/acupuncture-doesnt-work/

Phil_aka_Pip

It hurt and it didn't work

Emp_Fab

octatonic said:

It doesn't work beyond being a theatrical placebo.

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/acupuncture-doesnt-work/

Hmmm.  I've just been reading Ben Goldacre's take on it and at first glance, he thinks it does work - but only in the capacity of a placebo effect - which itself has been proven to be effective.  The trouble now is; now that I know it's not really doing anything, have I destroyed the benefits of the placebo effect for myself ?

lloyd

I have, not worth it to get rid of a mild
headache if I'm honest.

octatonic

Emp_Fab said:

octatonic said:

It doesn't work beyond being a theatrical placebo.

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/acupuncture-doesnt-work/

Hmmm.  I've just been reading Ben Goldacre's take on it and at first glance, he thinks it does work - but only in the capacity of a placebo effect - which itself has been proven to be effective.  The trouble now is; now that I know it's not really doing anything, have I destroyed the benefits of the placebo effect for myself ?

Ok, let's deconstruct that.

I'm basically say the same thing.

It doesn't work in the same was a drug works.

For instance, if you were unconscious and given a drug to make your breathing better (like ventolin, which I need to live) then your breathing would become better.

Your consciousness is not necessary for the drug to work.

If you were given acupuncture whilst unconscious then it would do nothing because you need to know you are receiving it for there to be any effect.

If I was having an asthma attack and unconscious then acupuncture wouldn't work and I would potentially die.

As far as the placebo effect goes- the strange thing is being aware of something being a placebo is not an impediment to it 'working', but placebos don't work on all people.

I find that placebo's do not work on me, for instance.

I'm personally wary of legitimising placebo effect based stuff in favour of actual medicine, especially given the 'alt-medicine' communities approach to politicising their work.

Sporky

Placebos work brilliantly on me as long as Lady BMcH administers them in a suitably theatrical way. Tictacs are very good for headaches.

octatonic

Sporky said:

Placebos work brilliantly on me as long as Lady BMcH administers them in a suitably theatrical way. 

That's enemas.

lasermonkey

I had it once and it did bugger-all for me. I'm a bit of a cynical git, which may explain it.

The Mrs had to visit a physiotherapist after a car accident and it worked really well on her. She's not quite as cynical as me!

octatonic

Further to this- there is a vet local to us (who I refuse to use) that promotes acupuncture on your pet.

It is a complimentary technique- meaning it doesn't replace actual medicine.

Clearly the animal has no awareness of what a placebo is so who is this actually working on?

Are the symptoms being improved by sticking in needles- or is it a theatrical process that is being performed on the owner?

Personally, I think it is morally repugnant to do it to an animal.

ThorpyFX

I have and it reduced the pain in my knee, (whilst waiting for an op) the second session in had though had to be abandoned as it put me into a state of hysterical laughter that was uncontrollable and took and hour to subside.

digitalscream

I had it once, as pain-relief in preparation for a physio procedure on my elbow (friction therapy on a tendon...which really fucking hurts). Never had it done before. Now, I'm not bothered about needles at all. He stuck three needles in various places, which were fine. The last one went in just near my thumb; he was trying to find the spot and when he hit it...there was no pain at all, but I immediately and uncontrollably threw up all over him.

My conclusion from that anecdotal evidence is that it does apparently do something, but not necessarily what you're aiming for.

lloyd

octatonic;1105943" said:

Personally, I think it is morally repugnant to do it with an animal.

I don't think you'll get too much argument with that statement.

boogieman

My wife has had it. She was given it as part of treatment on her injured shoulder. As she also got physio and deep massage treatment at the same time she has no idea if it actually did anything.

Phil_aka_Pip

lasermonkey said:

I had it once and it did bugger-all for me. I'm a bit of a cynical git, which may explain it.

The Mrs had to visit a physiotherapist after a car accident and it worked really well on her. She's not quite as cynical as me!

It was a physio (a very good one, actually) who tried the acupuncture with me. I think she uses it as a side-line in her bag of tricks. Anyway my problem was inflammation of the tendon that operates my fretting hand pinky, caused by overdoing practice of a repetitive arpeggio pattern at high speed. As well as the usual therapy, she tried sticking pins into the side of my hand. I observed that this was the first time I'd ever experienced someone sticking pins into a place that already hurts in an attempt to make it hurt less. You got a part of your body that's damaged? Stick a pin in it, that'll make it better! FFS. She did deal with the problem, but not by that method. 'Twas the first (AND LAST) time anyone tried acupuncture with me.

octatonic

lloyd said:

octatonic;1105943" said:

Personally, I think it is morally repugnant to do it with an animal.

I don't think you'll get too much argument with that statement.

You scamp, with the tricksy editing.

thermionic

octatonic said:

It is a complimentary technique- meaning it doesn't do anything.

FTFY

I'm trying to think of a joke here about using acupuncture to treat pins and needles... ah, supply your own punchline.

Phil_aka_Pip

octatonic said:

It is a complimentary technique

No it isn't. You pay for it.

chillidoggy

Maybe they didn't push the needles in far enough?

EricTheWeary

My sister is a trained acupuncturist and a reflexologist. If acupuncture seems odd then reflexology is coo coo for cocoa puffs. Not that she works as either at the moment ( or much of anything, lazy cow) but I've known people with anecdotal positives about acupuncture and there is some evidence about it's use for things like migraine. I guess if it is a placebo effect and as the patience you are convinced it is a placebo and essentially of no value then I guess it doesn't work at all.

Heartfeltdawn

digitalscream said:

The last one went in just near my thumb; he was trying to find the spot and when he hit it...there was no pain at all, but I immediately and uncontrollably threw up all over him.

http://media3.giphy.com/media/4qCEytljLybzq/giphy.gif