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Bob and Joanne, I agree with you 100%, Bob. In something like Bell's Palsy with it's spontaneous recovery in most people I would think that anything as dramatic as acupuncture has a tremendous placebo effect. As recovery occurs spontaneously it reinforces the effect and expectation for further recovery. Bell's Palsy is an ideal condition to demonstrate placebo response . Jo Ann. I don't doubt your perception that you improved with Acupuncture. At the same time I think that any proof that it works in a particular illness or condition needs to be done in controlled double blind studies as are proposed and being carried out by NIH. So many people are using unproven and perhaps even dangerous that it is important that the wheat be separated from the chaff. It is my sense also from a lot of anecdotal reports that it may be a good pain reliever but we will need to look at good studies to prove it. Charlie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Robert A. Fink, M. D." <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2000 9:35 PM Subject: Re: People Interested in Alternative Medicine > Date sent: Thu, 18 May 2000 20:18:32 EDT > Send reply to: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network <[log in to unmask]> > From: Jo Ann Coen <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Re: People Interested in Alternative Medicine > To: [log in to unmask] > > > I chose acupunture, which helped me get > > over the paralysis quicker. So there are things that alternative > > practitioners can help. > > Jo Ann, > > How do you know that the acupuncture made the Bell's Palsy clear up > faster? I treat Bell's Palsy in my practice and there is really nothing > that makes it get better any faster than the nerve takes to recover its > function (which is not often total). > > The only way to really tell is to take an identical group of diagnosed > patients and treat half of them with acupuncture and the other half > with nothing. > > BTW, I think that acupuncture has its place in medicine. It is a good > pain-reliever, but it does not "cure" anything. > > > Best, > > Bob > > > ********************************************** > Robert A. Fink, M. D., F.A.C.S., P. C. > 2500 Milvia Street Suite 222 > Berkeley, California 94704-2636 > Telephone: 510-849-2555 FAX: 510-849-2557 > WWW: http://www.dovecom.com/rafink/ > > mailto:[log in to unmask] > > "Ex Tristitia Virtus" > > *********************************************