#8: Acupuncture.
There were originally 360 acupuncture points (based on the number of days of the year rather than on anatomy). Currently more than 2,000 acupuncture points have been ‘discovered,’ leading one wag to comment that there was no skin left that was not an acupuncture point. There were either 9, 10 or 11 meridians–take your pick. Any number is as good as another, because no research has ever been able to document the existence of acupuncture points or meridians or chi. Acupuncture has been shown to ‘work’ to relieve pain, nausea, and other subjective symptoms, but it has never been shown to alter the natural history of the course of any disease. Studies have shown that acupuncture releases natural opioid pain relievers in the brain: endorphins. Veterinarians have pointed out that loading a horse into a trailer or throwing a stick for a dog also releases endorphins. Probably hitting yourself on the thumb with a hammer would release endorphins too, and it would take your mind of your headache.