The sham distant points use for acupuncture fertility research

During the recent decades, western medicine researches have used sham distant points to compare the effectiveness of acupuncture. The theory behinds this is if the sham needles acupuncture has achieved the similar effect as the ‘real’ acupuncture, then acupuncture does not work or acupuncture is just for psychological effect.

We are against this unscientific way of generalizing the test result of specific test settings which can affect the chance of patients fertility result. They can draw conclusion only like distant needling is similar to the real acupuncture, but they cannot see acupuncture does not work.

First, like the researchers said, the real mechanism behinds how acupuncture works is “unknown”. So they cannot point any facts with unknown reasons into a conclusion of psychological effect. This is not scientific attitude. if so, let psychologists treat infertility. So many years, I have not yet heard psychology society takes role in infertility treatment. And there is no psychologists hired by any fertility clinics.

Second, acupuncture is not as western medicine researchers perceived as digital/mechanical which means either yes or no when they looks for acupuncture points. Acupuncture points is more like analog signal or a region effects. This can explain the sham needles are similar to the ‘real’ points depending on how close they are.

Thirdly, the  acupuncture practitioners quality, selections of fertility points and the stimulation techniques are varying.  The western medicine research is based on fixed mechanical/chemical/electrical conditions, and removing the human elements. This would be difficult in evaluating effect of acupuncture. Because of the “unknown-to-Western Medicine”, the choice of acupuncture points, amount of stimulation, needling techniques is simplified in the acupuncture fertility research. Therefore, not like the earlier researches which has stressed the above factors by including experienced acupuncturists in the research, the acupuncture effectiveness in the fertility treatment  is greatly discounted.

Fourth, the research has not including pattern differentiation or individualized treatment into consideration. Once again, Chinese medicine is an individualized medicine. It considers the treatment with context of nature, the universe, society, and human beings.