Comments on: 08-10-08

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:57:08 +0000

You amaze the level of stupidity I can possible perceive. Thanks for the endorphin release!

By: Michael Ellis

Michael Ellis — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:39:32 +0000

This article is not science, this is barracking for a team.

By: Rory

Rory — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 01:30:50 +0000

I cannot believe that people still fall for these alternative health con artists.

Of course Acupuncture is a pile of ****.

There is ZERO evidence of it ever having cured anything ever.

By: Angela Squires

Angela Squires — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:25:17 +0000

I have heard Harriet Hall speak live in Vancouver, BC where she presented as a calm, rational person telling the truth about medicine and CAM, complementary alternative medicine. As a British trained teacher I am frankly horrified at the financial support given by the NHS (the UK universal medicare) to unproven and even dangerous, by dint of ineffective, homeopathic and CAM treatments. Some of this support is because of EU rules that are bizarre and one of the reasons for the financial woes of so many EU countries. The newish Conservative Government is changing NHS funding to a science based regime, closing homeopathic hospitals for example.

While recovering from cancer I took a course in Therapeutic Touch (TT), a CAM technique that has been accepted by the BC Cancer Agency mainly because of the work of UK born, Liz Smith, CCH (Clinical Hypnotist) and BSW. Later I took Level 2 TT and was a member of the BCTT Network. We were taught to never make claims to cure or treat disease, rather to offer TT as a stress reliever, comforter, relaxation technique; in fact somebody said that maybe the best result of TT was that it got a person to shut up for 30 minutes! I can attest to that personally :-)

Acupuncture is an elaborate placebo; as such for those who believe it works, sure enough it works! There has been no sufficient scientific proof to demonstrate its efficacy. Ultimately to charge money for acupuncture without stating that it is an elaborate placebo is simply fraud. TT makes no unproven claims. at least in Canada, and as an aid to relaxation, makes sense. Whereas sticking pins in a person makes no sense whatsoever; I have a dead patch on my leg from some hippie fool sticking a ‘needle’ in there to relieve my broken leg pain, it didn’t.

By: Nats

Nats — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:35:20 +0000

“Harriet Hall is not just a skeptic she is a biased medical doctor…” and “I recently read an article…” are the only true statements in your post and I question the latter.

There is only one “form” of medicine. That’s medicine. Any of the woo based, failed attempts at medicine are NOT medicine. (On Alt Med – “If it were shown to be truly effective, it would be part of regular medicine.” – Dr. H. Hall)

So for the gazillionth time, just once, show the scientific and medical communities how acupuncture works… SCIENTIFICALLY! (Note: Anecdotal based submissions are no longer being accepted ;)

By: linda cruz

linda cruz — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:20:32 +0000

Harriet Hall is not just a skeptic she is a biased medical doctor who in an attempt to glorify her past profession will insult any other form of medicine. I recently read an article in which she pretended that back pain and a ruptured disc are synonymous! She just does not sound like a person who has a medical degree or any background in science. Her twisted opinion is not worthy of being published in any respectable journal or website.

By: Piet

Piet — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:54:37 +0000

Answer not to Demo but to all participants.
Hi My name is piet from South Africa, How can anyone comment on acupuncture if they don’t know the scientific principles behind acupuncture. If they knew many advances in the medical field can be obtained. In his book on alternative medicines Dr. Stanway from the U K states in his book “How does it work” He says it is fair to say that nobody knows not even in the east but work it certainly does.
I can prove it scientifically. Dr. Stanway further states that 80% of people find relief of acupuncture, they don’t know why it does not work for the other 20%. I use another form of acupuncture and to my mind based on the same principles. I have good success and can substantiate all my findings and facts scientifically. My method does not need the puncture of the skin. Successes on Lymphodema, asthma and all the other claims made by acupuncturist in fact all stress related diseases can be minimised with my method. The other 20% can also be helped but not with accupuncture. So please people don’t argue over facts that are not known to you.

Thanks

Piet

By: John

John — Thu, 12 May 2011 18:06:18 +0000

This article was not meant to be balanced, it’s a skeptics point of view. As a scientist(retired), I always want the data, regardless of which side of an argument one is on. Skepticism and questioning is healthy. As Carl Sagan said in Cosmos, it’s the path in finding the truth (as much as science can determine).

I don’ know, but perhaps we’re talking about two different things? Culture and science? …at least in a modern context.

For me, it’s all about finding what the scientifically gathered data shows. I for one am aware of my bias and any result needs to be replicated before it can be accepted in the science community (mostly).

By: A Demo

A Demo — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:47:27 +0000

It is a characteristic of skeptics to resort to insult and bullying with anybody that disagree with them; they cannot be taken seriously when they counter any opposing argument with the leitmotiv: you disagree, you are an idiot
No one can take seriously a group of individual so blatantly dogmatic, bordering on the stalinist
Can you imagine having this sort of people in governement

A Demo

By: LB

LB — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:12:29 +0000

I have received acupuncture a few times, and I know it works. Why do I need science or some person who took out a bunch of student loans to pay for his medical school to tell me what’s going to work for me. If it’s placebo then great! I’ll take it, but if that’s the case then why doesn’t chemotherapy produce the same placebo effects? It usually just kills the patient in a few months. Doctors and scientists are just upset because people are sick of spending tons of money to stay sick. Of course people are going alternative routes. And why not? We are individuals with free will to make our own choices, why stand for being herded like sheep from the medical/science groups. Any way science never proves anything other than the fact that science has still so much to learn. Science can’t even prove science. And we might as well start calling it the unhealth care industry, because they can’t get paid if your healthy. Oh and by the the way qi or prana can’t be proven by science because science is not advanced enough and hasn’t been around long enough to provide evidence. The answer is soooo simple it just takes the right side of your brain to understand it not data And a lab coat. Hey you want to prove something prove that it is real. Being a skeptic is kids lame any way because anyone can do it, watch: I’m skeptic you are real because I have never met you. Or I’m skeptic that the skeptics are really skeptical, or am I a skeptic in disguise? You see how easy it is? Or can you? You may need to conduct research to see how you really feel. What a waste!