# Does Acupuncture really work (Article **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [January 11, 2012, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225 "2012-01-11T23:05:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225/41 "2012-01-19T18:48:31Z")
I suspect **acupuncture-works** will not be back for further conversation. Apparently he does not like being needled. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225/42 "2012-01-19T19:30:11Z")
I think he just didn’t like to have his bubble popped. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225/43 "2012-01-19T19:38:18Z")
Enough with the acupuncture puns, please-I think we get the point. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225/44 "2012-01-19T19:40:24Z")
Well, you are a sharp one. 😉 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Professor\_Longnose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bb73d2/32.png) [@Professor\_Longnose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Professor_Longnose)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225/45 "2012-01-23T22:02:37Z")
> [@ericwnyc](#): > > You guys are TOUGH, i finally had to do some googling. Here are links to 3 scientific studies that appear to indicate that acupuncture has a measurable effect in various types of acute pain relief. I’ll look around for more and post when I have time. > E > > [Using acupuncture for acute pain in hospitalized children - PubMed](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19307808) > > [Acupuncture for the treatment of severe acute pain in Herpes Zoster: results of a nested, open-label, randomized trial in the VZV Pain Study | BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies | Full Text](http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/11/46) > > this one’s a pdf: [Redirect Notice](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=acupuncture%20for%20acute%20pain%20study&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CH0QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnecksecret.com%2Fuploads%2FMilitary_Medicine_MGMC_Published_Paper_-_Pain_relief.pdf&ei=HiYOT4OYBvDciAKEutnNDQ&usg=AFQjCNGIu8EJSU63EhTHsSHkKIomKqqdJg&cad=rja) These are not as far as I can tell blinded studies. That’s a big problem. It’s not easy to blind an acupuncture study, because people usually know when they’ve been given acupuncture. Nonetheless, there are ways, and there are questions about studies that are not blinded. James Randi is writing a book to which I make a small contribution: I looked at more than 300 acupuncture studies on PubMed to see if they were positive or negative, and whether they were large enough and designed in ways to tell us much. Spoiler alert: there are a few studies that suggest some results for certain uses in certain ways, but they are not conclusive, and the evidence falls far short of the claims. Acupuncture is being pushed far more than is justified. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225/46 "2012-01-23T23:12:34Z")
> [@Professor\_Longnose](#): > > Spoiler alert: there are a few studies that suggest some results for certain uses in certain ways, but they are not conclusive, and the evidence falls far short of the claims. Acupuncture is being pushed far more than is justified. Let me guess. The positive results are in categories where the positivity is highly subjective and known to be placebo-ish; i.e., pain reduction. ---
**Author:** ![Professor\_Longnose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bb73d2/32.png) [@Professor\_Longnose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Professor_Longnose)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225/47 "2012-01-24T15:20:04Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Let me guess. The positive results are in categories where the positivity is highly subjective and known to be placebo-ish; i.e., pain reduction. More or less. By the way, I said 300 studies in my original post and I should have said 300 cites. They weren’t all studies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work-article/609225.md?page=2)