Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies

Opinion | Acupuncture article suffers from fuzzy science, lacks regard for research

Susan Hoffman, Associate Professor in the Department of Zoology, hoffmasm@muohio.edu

I was disappointed to see the very naive article in The Miami Student on Oct. 21 about the availability of acupuncture through McCullough-Hyde Wellness Center. Contrary to what the article says, acupuncture does NOT "... help patients with their pain and other symptoms."

Scientific research has repeatedly shown that acupuncture is a placebo, i.e. something that makes people think that their symptoms have improved when in fact they have not. Patients report the same "improvement" in their symptoms whether they are given acupuncture or poked with a toothpick at random points on their skin. Please check out actual scientific/medical information before credulously accepting and propagating the claims of unproven or ineffective treatments.