Many people believe that Traditional Chinese acupuncture can relieve arthritic knee pain. Data from a clinical trial of 455 patients and 72 controls showed that the attitude of the acupuncturist greatly influenced the outcomes. When the acupuncturist (genuine or pretend) said to the patient, “I’ve had a lot of success with treating knee pain,” the subjects reported much greater relief than when told, “this treatment may or may not work.” The pretend practitioners also inserted the needles shallow and outside the traditional “meridians.”
PositiveTip: Never forget that we are subject to the placebo effect, and it can powerfully influence the outcomes we experience.