Absurd claims can give TCM a bad name

AN ARTICLE on acupuncture published in November sparked a fierce debate recently because it concluded that parents, by getting acupuncture treatment, could cure their children of certain diseases. Thepaper.cn comments:

If the article's "conclusion" is absurd then a theory it cites to prove its point must be a joke. The authors of the article claim their conclusion is based on "quantum entanglement" theory which applies to parents and their children, or any two persons related by blood.

Explaining their "research process", the authors said they put 14 "patients" suffering from aches in different parts of their body and their blood relatives in one room. But instead of the "patients", the authors applied acupuncture on their blood relatives, and found all the 14"felt relief". In the 15th case, they applied acupuncture on a couple in Jining, Shandong province, and their offspring in Beijing "felt relief".

For anybody with the basic knowledge of medical science, the conclusion is nothing but fiction. The authors didn't have any strict standard to judge whether the "patients" were really ill－as pain alone is no proof of an illness－and whether they were really cured. Perhaps that's why they cited the "quantum entanglement" theory to attract attention.

Worse, some people defended their claim saying it is part of traditional Chinese medicine, without realizing that by doing so, they are turning TCM into a faux medical practice like voodoo.

Dongzhimen Hospital affiliated to Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, where the three authors are on the medical staff, has already said it has nothing to do with the "research". The hospital authorities also said the "research" was conducted on individuals and should not be applied to all. Hopefully, those who support the "research" will heed the professional opinions of TCM doctors.