The Consumer Reports Health blog brought this to our attention. A study in the latest Archives of Internal Medicine looked at the effectiveness of acupuncture for lower back pain patients.

Study participants received acupuncture, customized acupuncture, simulated acupuncture, or no acupuncture in addition to standard medical treatment. The patients who received any form of acupuncture fared better than the control group…including the group who received simulated acupuncture, which consists of touching acupuncture points with toothpicks, without but not piercing the skin.

What makes the difference? Human touch?

(Photo: scelera)

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