Comments on: Mouse ache

By: Daniel Rutter

Daniel Rutter — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:51:51 +0000

The full paper is available for free download now:
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=14992363756294237352&hl=en&as_sdt=2000
It does not seem that it actually tests acupuncture at all. Instead, as far as I can see, the experimenters just used acupuncture needles to hurt mice in a controlled way, thereby causing the already-well-known biochemical changes that dull pain for a time after a sharply painful stimulus.
(Before this, the paper sounds off about unfair Western denigration of ancient Chinese wisdom, just like all those other Chinese studies of acupuncture all the way back to when they were governmentally required to say how cool Communism was every ten words. See also the numerous studies of Glorious Soviet People’s Medicine, whose results were similarly difficult for the running-dog capitalists at Western universities to reproduce.)
Unless I’m missing something – and I may be, ‘cos the full study runs WAY over my syllable limit for this time of night – acupuncture is not meant to hurt. Acupuncture’s effects are also meant to last longer than the period of somewhat-dulled-pain and neurochemical excitement you get from, for instance, whacking your thumb with a hammer.
The Science-Based Medicine blog has a post about the paper here:
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=5437

By: wilkowaty

wilkowaty — Mon, 31 May 2010 07:28:42 +0000

Hi,
Given your concern about the “real value” of acupuncture (versus placebo )there is at least one experiment worth considering, hence – have a look at one of these series, where Kathy Sykes investigates for BBC Two.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4173821733321450451#

By: rita

rita — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:42:16 +0000

Good one for the series I’m amassing of making animals suffer for woo – not that I approve of making them suffer for “mainline” science, either, but that’s another story.
So many people think “alternatives” don’t involve animal suffering, but not so – have a look at the skeptvet blog (under “Holistic means whatever…” comments section for just a few of the more egregious.

By: Winnie741023

Winnie741023 — Sun, 30 May 2010 21:57:52 +0000

Obviously, alternative therapy is mostly for people whom lost faith in orthodox medicine (I suppose that includes clinical psychology/ psychiatry). And by reading your post I lose even more trust for orthodox science or its representation like you post.
Didn’t most theories for orthodox science or medicine has a animal model? Why don’t I see you blogging pages like Pavlov’s dog nerves pathway?