The major flaw in acupuncture studies
August '07 Filed in: Acupuncture
The
British Medical Journal published this little gem
two weeks ago:
August 20, 2007 -- The addition of acupuncture to a course of advice and exercise delivered by physiotherapists provides no additional improvement in pain scores in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, according to the results of a prospective, randomized, controlled trial published in the August 15 Online First issue of BMJ.
On the surface the study seems reasonable. After all, we know acupuncture is not a magic bullet. However, there is one major flaw with this and many acupuncture studies.
The major flaw in acupuncture studies
The major flaw of this study, and many like it, is it does not take into account the experience of the practitioner. I'm going to let you in on a secret about acupuncture. Well, it's not really a secret, but when you know this one little fact, you will have knowledge so rare, it might as well be a secret.
The super secret about acupuncture
The super secret is acupuncture is a procedure performed by a practitioner. As with any procedure, skill, experience and training matter. I don't mean any disrespect to the British physiotherapists, and, they are not trained acupuncturists. So when you are looking for a practitioner of any type, but especially an acupuncturist, experience does matter. Three years of post-graduate study and 17 years practicing explains why most people who come to see me for a problem feel better
August 20, 2007 -- The addition of acupuncture to a course of advice and exercise delivered by physiotherapists provides no additional improvement in pain scores in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, according to the results of a prospective, randomized, controlled trial published in the August 15 Online First issue of BMJ.
On the surface the study seems reasonable. After all, we know acupuncture is not a magic bullet. However, there is one major flaw with this and many acupuncture studies.
The major flaw in acupuncture studies
The major flaw of this study, and many like it, is it does not take into account the experience of the practitioner. I'm going to let you in on a secret about acupuncture. Well, it's not really a secret, but when you know this one little fact, you will have knowledge so rare, it might as well be a secret.
The super secret about acupuncture
The super secret is acupuncture is a procedure performed by a practitioner. As with any procedure, skill, experience and training matter. I don't mean any disrespect to the British physiotherapists, and, they are not trained acupuncturists. So when you are looking for a practitioner of any type, but especially an acupuncturist, experience does matter. Three years of post-graduate study and 17 years practicing explains why most people who come to see me for a problem feel better
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