http://www.i-am-specialized.com/triathlon#
Moxibustion Therapy … that’s a new one to me (not that I’m at all keen on any massage therapy techniques, but still…)
At about 2:54, when he goes and pops the glass cups off Macca’s back, what on earth does he say is the cause for the discoloration??? Bars? What bars? The bars on the bike??? What?
I know some of you are fluent in translating Aussie…!
Strange.
The Chinese have used this techinique for a long time. You will see the spots on the back of the chinese women marathon runners during the Beijing marathon.
yep
this particular snake oil is old school
.
Where I come from, we call those hickeys.
I think he means the aero bars.
I think I would not let someone do that to me.
as it’s related to accupuncture and in use for nearly 2000 years, it’s an old and well understood technique(in China)
.
I always wonder… and not directly related to the poster letting us know it is from the Chinese (2000 years old), but a more general observation… why many consider the fact something is eastern and been done for years, it has validation? If we look back at what the western world was doing 200 years ago, let alone 2000, we would not look fondly at the methods. There seems to be a thought that Eastern medicine is somehow superior to Western, without holding it to the strict principles of validation (peer-reviewed study).
Of course, ‘western’ medicine has flaws - but it is much more related to the WAY it is practiced, versus the quality. MOST methods like this rely on a very very powerful, and real, concept called placebo. It is wonderful and can provide real benefits (why Macca et al should roll on using it - if they believe it works… as it may well… just not for the reasons they think/are told). IF we practiced ‘western’ medicine with methods including lasting attention etc then we would not need to look elsewhere.
my masseuse got trained in this technique and has performed it on my back. massage cupping, also known as banguanfa:
http://www.massagecupping-nw.com/pages/home.html
it can leave some funky marks on you but, IMO, it feels good.
the problem with western medicine is the doctors, not the medicine.
my wife goes to an acupuncturist and was introduced to this “cupping” technique. She is a believer in it and it has helped with some chronic back pain as well as some gastro-intestinal issues.
Western Medicine has the best trained doctors in the world… albeit with many with their hands tied with a system built with turnstiles, versus real care.
Cupping has been around for a long time. I have a local chiro/accupuncturist that uses it to bring circulation to an injured area… I had it done as an additonal treatment for ITBS a few years ago.
There are two types of moxa. One involves traditional needles, and the other is this. Moxa is actually really cool. Essentially, it warms the needle, which further increases blood flow to the area. My understanding is the idea behind acupuncture is it increases blood flow to a very specific area without the trauma of a real injury.
I had a long-term ITB issue (I couldn’t run for 5 weeks. At all.) and acupuncture cleared it out in two days. Friday, I tried to run and started walking at about 7 minutes. Monday I did 65 minutes pain-free. That’s my belief.
Also, I call the dark spots hickies as well.
He’s aussie, they’re talking bars, it’s referring to alcohol!
The National Council Against Health Fraud has concluded: Acupuncture is an unproven modality of treatment. Its theory and practice are based on primitive and fanciful concepts of health and disease that bear no relationship to present scientific knowledge Research during the past 20 years has not demonstrated that acupuncture is effective against any disease. Perceived effects of acupuncture are probably due to a combination of expectation, suggestion, counter-irritation, conditioning, and other psychologic mechanisms. The use of acupuncture should be restricted to appropriate research settings, Insurance companies should not be required by law to cover acupuncture treatment, Licensure of lay acupuncturists should be phased out. Consumers who wish to try acupuncture should discuss their situation with a knowledgeable physician who has no commercial interest . Acupuncture has NEVER been shown to be effective in a double blind study.
A study published in 2001 illustrates the absurdity of TCM practices. A 40-year-old woman with chronic back pain who visited seven acupuncturists during a two-week period was diagnosed with “Qi stagnation” by 6 of them, “blood stagnation” by 5 , “kidney Qi deficiency” by 2, “yin deficiency” by 1, and “liver Qi deficiency” by 1. The proposed treatments varied even more. Among the six who recorded their recommendations, the practitioners planned to use between 7 and 26 needles inserted into 4 to 16 specific “acupuncture points” in the back, leg, hand, and foot. Of 28 acupuncture points selected, only 4 (14%) were prescribed by two or more acupuncturists. The study appears to have been designed to make the results as consistent as possible. All of the acupuncturists had been trained at a school of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Six other volunteers were excluded because they “used highly atypical practices,” and three were excluded because they had been in practice for less than three years. Whereas science-based methods are thoroughly studied to ensure that they are reliable, this appears to be the first published study that examines the consistency of TCM diagnosis or treatment. I would expect larger studies to show that TCM diagnoses are meaningless and have little or nothing to do with the patient’s health status. The study’s authors state that the diagnostic findings showed “considerable consistency” because nearly all of the practitioners found Qi or blood stagnation. However, the most likely explanation is that these are diagnosed in nearly everyone. It would be fascinating to see what would happen if a healthy person was examined by multiple acupuncturists.
More…
The National Council Against Health Fraud has concluded: Acupuncture is an unproven modality of treatment. Its theory and practice are based on primitive and fanciful concepts of health and disease that bear no relationship to present scientific knowledge Research during the past 20 years has not demonstrated that acupuncture is effective against any disease. Perceived effects of acupuncture are probably due to a combination of expectation, suggestion, counter-irritation, conditioning, and other psychologic mechanisms. The use of acupuncture should be restricted to appropriate research settings, Insurance companies should not be required by law to cover acupuncture treatment, Licensure of lay acupuncturists should be phased out. Consumers who wish to try acupuncture should discuss their situation with a knowledgeable physician who has no commercial interest . Acupuncture has NEVER been shown to be effective in a double blind study.
A study published in 2001 illustrates the absurdity of TCM practices. A 40-year-old woman with chronic back pain who visited seven acupuncturists during a two-week period was diagnosed with “Qi stagnation” by 6 of them, “blood stagnation” by 5 , “kidney Qi deficiency” by 2, “yin deficiency” by 1, and “liver Qi deficiency” by 1. The proposed treatments varied even more. Among the six who recorded their recommendations, the practitioners planned to use between 7 and 26 needles inserted into 4 to 16 specific “acupuncture points” in the back, leg, hand, and foot. Of 28 acupuncture points selected, only 4 (14%) were prescribed by two or more acupuncturists. The study appears to have been designed to make the results as consistent as possible. All of the acupuncturists had been trained at a school of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Six other volunteers were excluded because they “used highly atypical practices,” and three were excluded because they had been in practice for less than three years. Whereas science-based methods are thoroughly studied to ensure that they are reliable, this appears to be the first published study that examines the consistency of TCM diagnosis or treatment. I would expect larger studies to show that TCM diagnoses are meaningless and have little or nothing to do with the patient’s health status. The study’s authors state that the diagnostic findings showed “considerable consistency” because nearly all of the practitioners found Qi or blood stagnation. However, the most likely explanation is that these are diagnosed in nearly everyone. It would be fascinating to see what would happen if a healthy person was examined by multiple acupuncturists.
More…
http://www.ncahf.org/pp/acu.html
The ncahf has always rubbed me the wrong way. I wish you used another source to argue against acupuncture. There are plenty of faults with acupuncture but their remains a place for it within the healthcare system.
exactly right Sub-3 - but important to remember that a persons symptoms can genuinely improve when administered acupuncture (or other intrusive ‘methods’). The distinction is in line with what you are saying… it is much more likey to the powerful placebo than to the actual intervention.
Same reason as why it has been shown that saline IV’s are much more powerful at clearing symptoms than sugar pills. Both ‘empty’ of medicinal value, but the more intrusive IV ACTUALLY improves symptoms - in a very real way. The placebo is a powerful tool… a shame it is exploited by voodoo. Roll on.
… but western medicine does not have all the answers.
While there is a close relationship between science and medicine, it is neither exclusive nor mutual. Paul Starr’s pulitzer prize book on the subject is worth reading.
http://www.amazon.com/Social-Transformation-American-Medicine/dp/0465079350
of course Western Medicine does not have all the answers - our understanding of the human body is ever evolving and improving (hence being able to find cures for diseases and treat cancer effectively). There is also a need for further understanding of the emotional side of healing (which is thought to be rooted in, again, the placebo). The situation is not whether Western Medicine has all the answers, but whether fringe practices should be held up against the same strongest methods of testing and review that Western procedures are.
Peer Review is still the best form of assessment of effectiveness - and should uncover whether A+B = C. Many (most) ‘alternative’ therapies cannot show there methods to be effective in peer reviewed studies. That is what Sub3 and I are saying.
but I will search out the book… thank you.