Battlefield acupuncture. I feel like sticking needles into our own wounded is unlikely to improve our image abroad. On the other hand, maybe it will scare the hell out of the terrorists. If that's what they do to their guys . . .
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And in the meantime, those of us who have had great success with acupuncture for managing chronic pain just shake their heads.
Yes, because personal experience trumps scientific data every time! Enjoy your newly healthy chi. Placebo, ho!
I've had a couple downright amazing highs from endorphine release after a long, hard bikeride. If accupuncture needles can convince your body to drug itself naturally, then more power to 'em.
And of course, applying this treatment to enemy wounded would be torture and a war crime.
Interesting conundrum.
Cain - Yes, because personal experience trumps scientific data every time! Enjoy your newly healthy chi.
I'd understand if you questioned the methodology of studies affirming acupuncture. Some studies aren't well designed. But there are more studies affirming the use of acupuncture for pain relief than contradicting it.
Three studies on spinal cord stimulation and two studies each on acupuncture, vitamin C, and steroid all showed a potential beneficial effect in pain reduction.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18346583?
the pain threshold in the aspirin-DL-lysine control group and the routine body acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in the model control group
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18271239?ordinalpos=11&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSumordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
DISCUSSION: Sham acupuncture reduced arm pain more than true acupuncture during treatment
link
(I didn't want to cherry pick my data, so I'm including the above as well)
Acupuncture, as an adjunct to standard treatment, was superior to standard treatment alone and physiotherapy in relieving mixed pelvic/back pain.
link
My understanding is that acupuncture works for chronic pain by triggering the release of endorphins. I feel that if your leg gets blown open, your body is probably releasing all the endorphins it can in the area.