Nerve Damage Acupncture

Maynehead

Sporky said:

Then stop claiming I've said things I haven't. It's that simple. Soon as you stop that I won't have to point out that you're misrepresenting what I've said - this is entirely up to you, so stop blaming me for your poor behaviour.

Like I said, PM me, this thread is not the place to settle your personal aggrievances with me. 

Sporky said:

But you are disputing the overwhelming evidence - do you really favour anecdata over properly controlled studies?

No, anecdotal evidence is what was asked for, and that is what I (and others) are giving.

Sporky said:

The problem with saying "quack treatment [x] does no harm" is that while people are having crystals put in their pants or snail mucus smeared on their feet they are not getting proper treatment, so there is a very real risk that not only do these treatments not work, they often result in greater harm because the condition deteriorates while they waste time burying their toenail clippings at a crossroads during a full moon.

In reality, the alternative is often either invasive surgery, pain management medication that does nothing to fix the root cause, or no treatment at all. With waiting lists for surgery being so long, you can easily fit in a 6 week course of acupuncture while you’re waiting for surgery.

So, do you actually have any constructive suggestions for the OP as an alternative to acupuncture, or are you happy just to rant on about burying toenail clippings and who didn’t say what?

menamestom

Maynehead said:

In China acupuncture is a mainstream treatment for nerve related issues such as pain or numbness. Every hospital will offer it as a matter of course and doctors will routinely prescribe it.

You might be able to fool a few people with placebos but surely you can’t fool 1.4 billion people all at once?

Argumentum ad  populum

Argumentum ad antiquitatem





Other than placebo, I think what is also happening is regression to the mean. The best healing mechanism for the human body, is the human body.   Many conditions improve by themselves given time and it is very difficult to separate this natural movement back to normal state to any treatment received.  It's much like taking vitamin C when your cold is at it's worst.  You get better.  Of course you would not of died of the cold had you not taken the vitamin C and the vitamin C may be something you 'believe in' that helps you get through the next cold.

From what I understand no data really supports the efficacy of acupuncture despite many studies.   If it makes people feel better then that's fine, but they would have probably got better anyway.

It's also worth noting conventional medicine may only have blunt tools for nerve damage, after all nerves are a complex and delicate system, but the main thing is seeing a specialist IMO, especially since time is a factor in treating many conditions so it is important not to waste it on acupuncture.  It's why these things are now called complimentary instead of alternative, so people don't discount the conventional options before moving to less proven treatments.   By all means, try them in parallel.