Does Acupuncture really work?

Through out my life I have always heard of famous people or even sick people in need of an alternative treatment, using acupuncture because they believe it truly works. Well, I am here to tell you that it doesn't. Growing up I always thought that all things doctors or practitioners said was true and as I got older I learned that was anything but true. Actually after reading a lot about pseudoscience it really showed me the other side of ideas and things that I thought to have been true; acupuncture being one of them.

Acupuncture is claimed to be an ancient system of healing which has developed over thousands of years as part of the traditional medicine of China. The aim of the treatment is to restore the balance of the universal energy Qi ( which is pronounced chee) in the body, through the painless application of fine needles into strategic points on the body. Why people honestly want needles inserted all over their body, I'll never know. Qi consists of Yin and Yang which are complete opposite forces that are also complementary. They are said to work well together until something sets them off. These forces need to be in balance otherwise disease or illness occurs in the body. Acupuncture needles are then used in specific areas which release energy and can keep the Qi balanced.

Acupuncture originated in China and has said to have been around for 2,000 years while others argue it has been around over 5,000 years. Regardless of when acupuncture came about it is pure pseudoscience. There is no empirical evidence to support the practice of acupuncture. There also is no scientific way to prove that their really is a Qi and a Ying and Yang part of the body. Studies have been conducted and it is almost impossible to replicate any data obtained and almost no one besides the "practitioner" can make it truly work. Most of what people experience is that of the placebo affect where they want to believe that this treatmhent will work so bad that they almost trick themselves into believing that it made a difference. In other words, there is little to no empirical evidence that shows acupuncture really works, regardless of the success that people tell of it.