FAQ
FAQ
One of the biggest questions about TCM is simply if the treatment really works or if the benefits are just the placebo effect happening. Vitaly Napadow, director of the Center for Integrative Pain Neuroimaging at the Martinos Center and senior author of the Brain paper, and a few colleagues conducted an experiment on whether acupuncture did help or if it was only the placebo effect treating the patients. How the study was conducted by taking patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in their hands and split them into 3 different groups of treatment over a span of several months. The 3 different treatments of acupuncture that were performed were acupuncture in the wrist of the affected hand, the second group got acupuncture in the opposite foot of the affected hand, and the third group got fake acupuncture that wasn’t proven to help their CTS. All 3 groups improved with their symptoms, but there was a notable difference in all 3 of the groups. The first group that got acupuncture in their wrist had both physical and mental improvements, while the other 2 groups only had physical improvements. However, the fake acupuncture treatment did have less of an effect rather than the acupuncture on the foot showing that in this study acupuncture is more than just the placebo effect (Boas).
Click here to learn about the placebo effect in acupuncture
A form of ancient Chinese medicine called cupping has become increasingly popular with athletes using it as a way to prevent injury and recover faster. The way cupping works is there is a glass cup placed on an injured area (normally back, shoulders, or legs) and then suctioned up using heat or an air pump. When the cup is suctioned up it pulls the skin up just a little separating the skin from the muscle underneath. When this happens the blood vessels pop, causing circular bruises on people. The effect of cupping is the body sends more blood to that area allowing more circulation and treating the affected area. Multiple Olympic athletes swear by cupping including Michael Phelps, Natalie Coughlin, Alexander Naddour, and NFL player DeMarcus Ware. Many other athletes and coaches praise the treatment and the effects of cupping saying it speeds up recovery but with it being such a new form of medicine there has been little research on whether it truly does help or if it is only a placebo effect treating people (Reynolds and Crouse).
While TCM is available in almost every country in the world some countries embrace it more than others. Portuguese-speaking countries (PSC) have changed their healthcare systems greatly with the idea of TCM. With TCM being covered by most insurances it has become a good choice of health care for middle and lower-class people. Among some of the PSCs are Brazil, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde. Brazil especially has embraced the idea of TCM by their government helping pass laws and fund TCM in the health care system. Portugal has also been very proactive in getting TCM legal and commonly used and tested. While these countries are trying to push the idea of TCM so is China. China has been trying to spread the idea of TCM and has been largely successful. Almost every country has some form of TCM available and lately the countries how (Zheng et al.).