Question

Acupuncture is an alternative medicine that uses wire-thin needles inserted by a trained practitioner into specific points in the body. This ancient form of pain relief and stimulation is said to benefit patients by blocking channels which practitioners claim allow pain to travel within the body. This practice became more widely recognized and used after a New York Times reporter wrote in 1971 of a positive experience with it after surgery. Those who doubt the effectiveness of this treatment for pain attribute the pain relief to a placebo effect: if a patient believes something will reduce their pain, they will experience some relief. The National Institutes of Health says that acupuncture relieves pain and reduces nausea and vomiting, although it is unclear how it works. The few adverse effects reported are due to improperly sterilized needles or improper delivery, making this still a fairly low risk option. For anyone considering acupuncture, they should first research its effectiveness for their specific condition. Summary of statements published by the National Institutes of Health After reading the passage about acupuncture, identify which scientific claim explains why some people say acupuncture does not truly relieve pain.

Answer 1

Answer:

"Those who doubt the effectiveness of this treatment for pain attribute the pain relief to a placebo effect: if a patient believes something will reduce their pain, they will experience some relief."

Explanation:

There is no scientific evidence to prove the healing effect of acumpulture, so some people do not believe it to be a reliable method when relieving pain. The above shows why people who do not believe in the healing power of acupulture believe that those who undergo this treatment really feel a relief from pain. People who do not believe in acupuncture relate this relief to the placebo effect.

Placebo is any substance without pharmacological properties, administered to persons or groups of persons as if it had therapeutic properties. The placebo effect happens when people believe so much that a (ineffective) treatment will work that it actually works.

Answer 2

"Those who doubt the effectiveness of this treatment for pain attribute the pain relief to a placebo effect: if a patient believes something will reduce their pain, they will experience some relief."

The method of acupuncture only provides the placebo effect, so it just gives a psychological benefit to the patient receiving acupuncture. 

Hope this helps. :)