Acupuncture is an alternative medicine that uses wire-thin needles inserted by a trained practitioner into specific points in the body. this ancient form of pain relief and stimulation is said to benefit patients by blocking channels which practitioners claim allow pain to travel within the body. this practice became more widely recognized and used after a new york times reporter wrote in 1971 of a positive experience with it after surgery.

those who doubt the effectiveness of this treatment for pain attribute the pain relief to a placebo effect: if a patient believes something will reduce their pain, they will experience some relief. the national institutes of health says that acupuncture relieves pain and reduces nausea and vomiting, although it is unclear how it works. the few adverse effects reported are due to improperly sterilized needles or improper delivery, making this still a fairly low risk option. for anyone considering acupuncture, they should first research its effectiveness for their specific condition.
summary of statements published by the national institutes of health

after reading the passage about acupuncture, identify which scientific claim explains why some people say acupuncture does not truly relieve pain.

it blocks pain channels.
it is unclear how it works.
it provides only a placebo effect.
it is ancient medicine, not modern medicine.

The scientific claim that explains the reason why some people say that acupuncture does not relieve pain is that it provides only a placebo effect.

Further explanation:  

Acupuncture is a traditional and old technique by which several people treat pain. A thin wire-like needle is inserted into a specific point in the body of the patient to relieve the pain. It is believed that this method blocks the channels that allow the pain to transmit from one part of the body to another. Even after a very high practice rate, there is always a doubt about the effectiveness of this method of treating pain. It is believed that the pain relief is due to a placebo effect.

A placebo effect is a therapeutic effect that is based on the belief of a person. If a person has a psychological belief that he or she feels relieved of the pain due to acupuncture, the effect is known as a placebo effect. A placebo may or may not contribute to the pain relief chemically or biologically but may help the person because of the psychological belief.  

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Answer Details:

Grade: High School

Subject: Biology

Topic: Traditional treatments

Keywords:

Acupuncture, traditional, needle, patient, channels, pain relief, placebo effect, therapeutic effect, psychological belief, chemical, biological

The scientific claim that explains the reason why some people say that acupuncture does not relieve pain is that it provides only a placebo effect.

Further explanation:  

Acupuncture is a traditional and old technique by which several people treat pain. A thin wire-like needle is inserted into a specific point in the body of the patient to relieve the pain. It is believed that this method blocks the channels that allow the pain to transmit from one part of the body to another. Even after a very high practice rate, there is always a doubt about the effectiveness of this method of treating pain. It is believed that the pain relief is due to a placebo effect.

A placebo effect is a therapeutic effect that is based on the belief of a person. If a person has a psychological belief that he or she feels relieved of the pain due to acupuncture, the effect is known as a placebo effect. A placebo may or may not contribute to the pain relief chemically or biologically but may help the person because of the psychological belief.  

Learn more:

Answer Details:

Grade: High School

Subject: Biology

Topic: Traditional treatments

Keywords:

Acupuncture, traditional, needle, patient, channels, pain relief, placebo effect, therapeutic effect, psychological belief, chemical, biological

an organism's phenotype is the  form of a trait  that it  displays. for  flowercolor, a pea  plant  can  display  a phenotype of purple or white flowers. an organism's  genotype  is the alleles of a gene it contains. based on his data, mendel concluded that a phenotype can be  determined  by more than one  genotype.