Quickies
Skepchick Quickies 6.1
- Hopes for breast cancer vaccine – “American scientists say they have developed a vaccine which has prevented breast cancer from developing in mice.”
- No cycles on this rail – From skept-artist.
- How acupuncture can help you – From our favorite. the Daily Mail. From Andy.
- Fake science – Funny fake posters, from Ellen.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/30/acupuncture-pain-relief-adenosine-mice
The Guardian has the same article written ever so slightly differently.
The ’no cycles’ reminds me of Mercedes Benzene molecule jokes back in high school biology. Nerds are always nerds.
The notion of acupuncture causing tissue damage which triggers the release of adenosine as an anti-inflammatory almost sounds plausible.
It also has me wondering if the release of endorphins might provide a mechanism by which acupuncture may work beyond the placebo effect. If so, emo kids with razor blades have only recently discovered what ancient Chinese medicine has known for centuries!
Off topic:
I need a little help finding an article…I read a skeptical article recently on the CieAura “holographic chip” that’s supposed to be about as good as miracle water from Lourdes for curing pain, etc. I can’t find the damned article now. I just found out my sister-in-law (who should know better) is selling this crap. Did anyone else see that article? Can someone provide a link?
All I can find on Google is a million “testimonials” about this crappy MLM/pyramid scheme.
[email protected]
@Peregrine: It does sound plausible. Even if there’s something to that claim though, people need to admit that it’s not acupuncture that’s helpful, it’s sticking needles into your body. The main difference between the two being the price tag.
Well, if homeopathy cures dehydration, maybe acupuncture cures not having holes in you?
I’m hoping SGU covers the acupuncture story. Really interested in hearing Steve Novella’s take on it.
I like that acupuncture may cause bleeding and pain. Really? Stabbing needles into someone may cause bleeding or pain? Whodathunkit?
@James Fox: My college had Arnold Schwarzerat.
Wouldn’v been funnier if he hadn’t been trapped in the school cafeteria.
@James Fox, I remember making a contraption with the plastic molecule construction sets in chemistry class that looked like the starship enterprise.
The dish was a carbon ring, the nacelles were oxygen-hydrogen atoms, but it probably contained a few atoms that couldn’t possibly fit in the spot they were in for the hull.