evidence and obesity

[Guest guest]

, " " wrote:

but there is no evidence that thrice weekly acupuncture helps

> weight loss inthe long term.

 

When I ask for evidence in this context, I mean the following:

 

1. professional medical literature from historical records

 

2. documented folk uses - according to modern standards of medical

anthropology and ethnobotany

 

3. modern research - clinical or laboratory

 

 

I don't consider any of the above to be totally valid except controlled clinical

research, but they are at least starting points for discussion. The chinese

may have a theory of what it means to be fat according to TCM physiology, but

they do not have a long track record of treating it. So are we in the territory

of MSU here? We have to be. So first we must determine what role,if any,

acupuncture and herbs play in this condition. Obesity is a major problem and

if we can address it effectively, we can eliminate most illnesses in the US.

So can we? And is our method the most cost-effective?