Science Speaks

As I've mentioned, there are some serious questions about the validity of ACM (ancient Chinese medicine).  While I've not yet found information regarding the scientific testing of qigong, I am finding lots of testing of acupuncture.  For instance, a recent professional study reports,

   "The study also supported the effects of three different forms of acupuncture: manual acupuncture needling alone and with the addition of high-frequency and low-frequency electrical stimulation. All treatments were performed by an experienced acupuncturist, applied to acupuncture points commonly used in pain management.
   The results provide a scientific background for the ancient practice of acupuncture, according to Dr. Dominik Irnich, Head of the Multidisciplinary Pain Centre, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Munich, and the study's leading author. Additionally, Dr. Irnich notes, "Our results show that contralateral stimulation leads to a remarkable pain relief. This suggests that acupuncturists should needle contralaterally if the affected side is too painful or not accessible—for example, if the skin is injured or there is a dressing in place."
   Dr. Steven L. Shafer, Editor-in-Chief of Anesthesia & Analgesia and Professor of Anesthesiology at Columbia University, views the results as an important preliminary finding. "Reproducible findings are the cornerstone of scientific inquiry," Dr. Shafer comments. "The authors have clearly described their methodology, and their findings. If other laboratories can reproduce these results in properly controlled studies, then this provides further support for the scientific basis of acupuncture. Additionally, the ability of quantitative sensory testing to identify specific types of nerves involved in pain transmission may help direct research into the mechanism of acupuncture analgesia."

Again, as I mentioned above, acupuncture is not qigong, and qigong's dependence on a more theoretical understanding of qi--while MD's can more easily accept acupuncture because of the fact that visible, physical manipulation of SOMETHING (qi or otherwise) is clearly going on--probably makes it easier for science to accept acupuncture than it will qigong.  I'll keep digging