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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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6

Study: Even 'Fake' Acupuncture Eases Back Pain

Back pain sufferers reported less pain with or without needles being used

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(Newser) – Acupuncture without the puncture helped relieve back pain in a new study, Reuters reports. Researchers divided patients with chronic back pain into several groups and discovered that the groups who received conventional acupuncture with needles and those who received simulated acupuncture with toothpicks reported greater—and almost identical—pain relief compared to those who received standard medical care.

The researchers couldn't pinpoint what it was about the real and simulated acupuncture that caused the pain relief, although they cited other research showing that even lightly touching the skin can induce hormonal reactions, and speculated that even light stimulation of acupuncture points could be enough to make a difference. "Historically, some types of acupuncture have used non-penetrating needles," one researcher said. "Such treatments may involve physiological effects that make a clinical difference."

An acupuncturist adjusts needles in a patient being treated for back pain.
An acupuncturist adjusts needles in a patient being treated for back pain.   (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
The researchers said they had been unable to determine whether or not the pain relief was caused by a placebo effect.
The researchers said they had been unable to determine whether or not the pain relief was caused by a placebo effect.   (©Thunderchild tm)
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Our study shows that you don't need to stick needles into people to get the
same effect. - Dr. Daniel Cherkin of Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle

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6 comments
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NutsInNY
May 12, 09 11:03 AM CDT
Ya see, in eastern medicine the placebo effect is seen as a *good* thing -- it's good to engage the brain in healing the body, sans drugs. Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
Rob
May 12, 09 12:44 PM CDT
They do not look at it as a placebo effect, but rather the change of the flow of chi.
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IN RESPONSE:
NutsInNY
May 12, 09 3:08 PM CDT
You say tomato...
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IN RESPONSE:
shonangreg
May 12, 09 5:32 PM CDT
NutsInNY, if the path to health were the placebo effect, then why insert needles? That doesn't sound like it is a witting use of the placebo effect.
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IN RESPONSE:
NutsInNY
May 12, 09 7:55 PM CDT
My friend *http://franklipman.com* is THE MAN on this stuff, but I'll bungle thru what I understand: The placebo effect is a vital part of acupuncture -- healing is facilitated by the recipient *believing* he/she will be helped -- but the needles also stimulate the "meridians" along which "chi" flows -- triggering the brain, as I understand it, to "get to work" (by sending a mssg to the brain which exaggerates the trauma, thereby maximizing the brain's involvement in healing)... Acupuncture is a great "first stop" in the treatment of anything, inasmuch as it is non-toxic -- but Western medicine, which often has toxic side-effects, is often the only hope -- it is powerful stuff. (But, alas, many people only turn to acupuncture when Western medicine has failed; they should try it first.) PS: for anyone who doubts the whole "chi" thing, if you hook up an electrometer to acupuncture needles, there is a detectable "electric current"... Apologies to anyone who knows this stuff better than I.
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