Tag: acupressure

Put it Over There with the Others: More “Promising Preliminary” Evidence for Acupressure

Another day, another legitimate journal publishing a preliminary study practically designed to spit out a positive result. Also, acupuncture robots?

/ August 9, 2019

Modern Reflexology: Still As Bogus As Pre-Modern Reflexology

Reflexology is a belief system based on imaginary connections between spots on the skin and internal organs. It has no basis in science.

/ April 10, 2018

Damn the evidence and regulations: VA goes full speed ahead with medical pseudoscience

The VA recently mandated inclusion of acupuncture, reiki, reflexology and other CAM in veterans medical benefits and will require that they be offered at VA medical facilities, ignoring the lack of evidence and federal rules on what medical benefits can be covered.

/ December 7, 2017

Study of “Acupressure” for Constipation

A recent study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine evaluated a treatment for constipation. It tested whether training patients to massage the perineum (the area between the vagina or scrotum and the anus) would improve their reported bowel function and quality of life at 4 weeks after training. They found that it did. It’s a simple, innocuous treatment that may be...

/ December 16, 2014

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

A correspondent asked me to review the book What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel. She wrote “I’m very worried about this book.” She had just seen an NPR article about the book and was alarmed because it provided an excerpt from the book recommending that patients with morning sickness “Try Sea-Bands” and “Go CAM Crazy.” She knew from...

/ August 9, 2011