Here's why *real* medicine is different than woo:

[pnwmom]

103. It is NOT a difference of only 7 percent. You really don't understand percents.

You don't add or subtract them to determine the difference.

And, as a source, I prefer this newsletter from the Harvard Medical School to your article from CNN. Please note that the person quoted is a board certified anesthesiologist, not a reporter.


http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/acupuncture-is-worth-a-try-for-chronic-pain-201304016042

Over the years there has been substantial debate about whether acupuncture really works for chronic pain. Research from an international team of experts adds to the evidence that it does provide real relief from common forms of pain. The team pooled the results of 29 studies involving nearly 18,000 participants. Some had acupuncture, some had “sham” acupuncture, and some didn’t have acupuncture at all. Overall, acupuncture relieved pain by about 50%. The results were published in Archives of Internal Medicine.

The study isn’t the last word on the issue, but it is one of the best quality studies to date and has made an impression.

“I think the benefit of acupuncture is clear, and the complications and potential adverse effects of acupuncture are low compared with medication,” says Dr. Lucy Chen, a board-certified anesthesiologist, specialist in pain medicine, and practicing acupuncturist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

http://mathcentral.uregina.ca/QQ/database/QQ.09.06/h/other1.html

Some info on calculating percent of change . . . it's not as simple as it looks.