acupuncture as a legitimate adjunctive therapy?

[Ron_Tomkins]

Michael Shermer has a little special on acupuncture. Basically they seem to claim that acupuncture is mostly bunk, but there are indeed some "pressure points" if you may call them that, which can have "some" therapeutic effects (but limited ones). Also, these points do not need needles to be inserted in them, but just mere electrical stimulations. Such practice receives the name of Electroacupuncture.

 

[jli]

..... the possible scientific explanations for efficacy relied on the theory of neurotransmitter release (endorphins, etc.).

True, but that effect has also been demonstrated in placebo. It sort of supports the notion that acupuncture is a placebo.

 

[jli]

It isn't just that low-quality studies are more likely to give you false results, but also that they are more likely to give you a false positive result than a false negative.

A very important point. A biased study that still finds a negative results is more informative than a biased study finding a positive result.