Myths and Misconceptions About Acupuncture

Getting people to try acupuncture can be very difficult. Many people know what it is but know very little about it, so it just seems foreign and strange to them. There are many misconceptions about acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Sometimes this also makes patients afraid to even acknowledge that they receive acupuncture because they’re afraid their friends and family will think they’re weird. Below are some of the more common misconceptions and why they are not correct. So next time you find yourself in a conversation about acupuncture and someone brings any of these up, you’ll know what to say.

“Acupuncture is only good for treating pain”

While it is true that acupuncture is a great option for the treatment of pain from many different causes, it can also help with many other conditions. It works well for digestive disorders, menstrual problems, and infertility just to name a few.

“Acupuncture hurts” or “I’m afraid of needles”

While its true many people are afraid of needles the needles used in acupuncture are much different in design and size than those used in a doctors office. It is mostly painless and certainly does not feel like what many people would expect. For more on this check out my VIDEO

“You need to believe in acupuncture for it to work” or “I don’t believe in it”

Most people think acupuncture only works because of the placebo effect. Oddly enough most people don’t really know what the placebo effect is, and recent research is causing the medical community to rethink their prior opinion on what the placebo effect is. A great demonstration of why belief is not necessary is veterinary acupuncture. Many animals get acupuncture and are noticeably better after treatment. Do dogs believe it will work for them and that’s why they’re better?

Also saying you don’t believe in it is kind of like saying you don’t believe in gravity. Acupuncture works and has demonstrable effects in the body. You may not believe in some of the underlying theories such as qi or vital energy and the energy pathways or meridians, and that’s ok. The terminology used in Chinese medicine can seem a little “out there”. We are talking about the same body, just with different terms and concepts. And honestly, the stripped down version often presented in the media is like describing a cake only by talking about the color of the frosting. There is much more to it.

“Acupuncture is religious” or “It is against my religion”

The practice of acupuncture involves no religious beliefs, plain and simple. During its history it was certainly influenced by the philosophies of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism but it does not conflict with other religious beliefs. It is merely a form of medicine and is no more or less religious than modern “Western” medicine.

“Acupuncture is expensive”

Paying out of pocket for health expenses is a foreign concept for many of us accustomed to only paying a small co-pay for our doctor visits or prescriptions. The truth is that acupuncture is a very cost effective medical therapy. Because of that insurance coverage is becoming more common. Most assume it’s not going to be covered by their insurance but it is always worth calling to find out. And if you don’t have insurance coverage currently, talk to your HR rep or who ever is in charge of purchasing your healthcare and let them know you want acupuncture as a covered service.

“I’ve already seen several doctors/tried several medications/had several procedures. None of them helped me, so how could acupuncture help?”

This usually indicates a bias for Western medicine and the idea that the “more technologically advanced and scientific” form of medicine we are all familiar with is the superior one. I’m not saying it is or it isn’t. In fact there are many times where patients have had no luck with Western medicine, maybe not even being able to get a diagnosis for their issues from their doctor, but still have fantastic results with acupuncture.

“I tried it once and it didn’t work”

The key word here is once. One acupuncture treatment is not enough to judge its effectiveness. Many people will notice a change in their symptoms after their first treatment and the results may only last for a day or two at first. With continued treatment the results get better and last longer. To try one acupuncture treatment and say it doesn’t work is like taking one dose of a medication and expecting it to suddenly change everything.

“There is no proof that it works”

I’ve got 2,000 plus years and millions of people as proof it works. When someone makes a statement like this they are usually trying to say there are no double-blinded, randomized control trials showing effectiveness for acupuncture (there are also no double-blinded, randomized control trials demonstrating the effectiveness of parachutes at reducing injury or death in high altitude falls, but if I ever have to bail out of a plane at 30,000 feet I don’t think I’m going to be skipping on the parachute). 10-15 years ago there were not a lot of studies done that indicated acupuncture was effective (mostly due to poor study design). A lot of research has been done in recent years showing that acupuncture works well for a variety of conditions. We still don’t understand all of the various mechanisms by which it works, but we’ve come a long way.

“I’m healthy/nothing is wrong with me, I don’t need acupuncture”

This is probably one of the more common reasons people don’t use acupuncture. This even applies to patients who have received care and resolved their issues. Just like our cars need regular maintenance even though it may be running just fine, so do our bodies need the occasional “tune-up”. Acupuncture is a great way to stay healthy and is very preventative in nature. It doesn’t require a lot of treatments to have this benefit, one a month or so is often sufficient.