Those claiming to be anti "woo" and pro science

[LeftyMom]

93. No, it doesn't work.

It's kind of hard to study because obviously people know if you're poking a hole in them or not. So some clever folks came up with a couple of ways to test: One was to develop a sham needle that had a cover over it, so there'd be a poking sensation and people couldn't see if it broke the skin or not. Another way was to use actual needles and compare results between correctly administered acupuncture using acupuncture points and incorrect placement. Either way, the results show that it doesn't work.

The underlying theory of meridians also makes no sense, in general whenever the underlying mechanism involves some kind of energy field you should be pretty skeptical because there's really no reason to believe that human bodies work that way.

A lot of complimentary therapy stuff "works" in the sense that having somebody show an interest in your health in a relaxing setting reduces stress, and that's sufficient therapy for a lot of minor complaints.