I have been practicing acupuncture for
over 10 years. In this time, there have been many changes, mostly
for the better. One thing I have found is that many people are much
less reluctant to try acupuncture nowadays. As more people try it,
they share their experiences with their circle of friends and family,
and the experiences are almost always positive. When we met people
at health fairs and events, they are usually receptive to learning
more about acupuncture. No doubt the positive portrayal in the media
from such people as Dr. Mehmet Oz is a huge factor as well. There is
no doubt that acupuncture is going mainstream.
Occasionally, however, we will
encounter people who have a positive impression and might like to try
it, but have a desire to examine the research. This is a natural
impulse. Before the internet, people relied on sources like Consumer
Reports to provide objective information on products and services,
but few people had access to medical journals and studies. Today,
the problem is that there is an overabundance of information on any
given topic. One can find studies relating to acupuncture that are
glowingly positive. Then there are studies that conclude acupuncture
is marginally better than placebo or neutral. There are very few
that cast acupuncture in a negative light. Essentially, as with many
things, one can find data to support whatever their position already
is, and an equal amount of data to contradict it. In addition, many
scientific studies reveal the bias of the individuals performing the
studies. This effect, called confirmation bias, can affect results
even in hard sciences like chemistry and physics.
I was discussing this with a physicist
recently and then it hit me. Somebody interested in acupuncture
could spend hours and hours gathering information (isn't that why
you're here?), carefully weighing the pros and cons. Or... they
could just try it! Leonardo Da Vinci, Issac Newton, Galileo, all the
great scientists of the past formed conceptions in their minds and
then tested them in real life. Today's scientists working, with
million and even billion dollar equipment, must plan their
experiments, sometimes years in advance. But judging acupuncture
does not require a hadron collider or even an MRI. All it takes is
an hour or so, and (at our clinic anyway), a very low investment.
Try it. Learn what a form of medicine that has lasted 5000 years is
really all about. Form your own opinion. Make up your own mind. At
the very least, you will learn something and have a new and
interesting experience. At the most, it could be a life-changing
experience.
