There's crazy, and then there is crazy. This is both. Researchers in China are exploring herbs and acupuncture to treat pain and perhaps mitigate the carnage of the opioid fentanyl crisis. Where does the fentanyl come from? China. Go figure.
Acupuncture
Healthcare has cultural roots. Chicken soup as “Jewish penicillin” exemplifies one culture’s role in signifying quality, remedy and affective connotations like comfort. Meanwhile, many choose traditional Chinese medicine over its Western counterpart, a decision that provides insight but leaves us with some questions.
From a security standpoint, the only thing that matters is that our soldiers are effective at killing people and breaking things. Does acupuncture help accomplish that? We presented one opinion last week. Now, here's a second viewpoint on the matter.
Emmy-winning TV anchor Ernie Anastos kicks off his new show with this "Doctors on Call" segment. Urologic oncologist Dr. David Samadi & Dr. Jamie Wells, our Director of Medicine, answer the public's questions.
Chinese researchers tested the combined effects of acupuncture and electrical stimulation on individuals suffering from chronic constipation. And they did find some differences compared to controls. But we think they could have contributed more to science's understanding of acupuncture.
Chronic knee pain is very common in adults over the age of 50, most commonly as a result of osteoarthritis. Sufferers often turn to alternative therapies such as acupuncture used by about three million Americans each year - to relieve pain despite the mixed results of studies looking into its effectiveness. A new study published in JAMA
What is complementary-alternative medicine anyway? Alternative to what? If a practice is not science-based, it is not medicine. Now we learn that Cleveland Clinic has sold out this concept for herbal treatments. Sad.
According to one account, the phoenix a legendary bird in Chinese and other mythologies died in flames, then rose from its own ashes to live again. Something similar has happened with acupuncture: Mao Zedong "restored" it as "New Acupuncture." Then New Acu-puncture based on fanciful prescientific theories and widely promoted in the United States as something of a cure-all inspired the development of a science-based mode of acupuncture that New Age opportunists largely ignore: neuro-electric acupuncture.