Does Acupuncture Get the Jab Done?

On this week's episode of the pod, we tackle acupuncture!

We kick things off with a discussion of the practice of acupuncture and its roots in Traditional Chinese medicine. We discuss the growing industry of acupuncture in the US, specifically, and some related practices such as cupping, acupressure, and more. We shift the conversation over to health policies and public and private insurance coverage of acupuncture. Next, we chat about the conditions that are purported to be addressed by acupuncture and-- you guessed it-- the available evidence (or lack thereof) supporting these claims. We chat about some of the limitations of existing research on this topic, including difficulty creating appropriate control groups for comparison. We then discuss some potential risks of acupuncture and the importance of chatting with your clinician before deciding to book an appointment! We wrap things up with a brief discussion of the potential overlap between acupuncture and falling prey to pseudoscience and fringe treatments that don't have evidence to support them. You don't want to miss this!

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