Traditional acupuncture theories and practices are not based on the body of basic knowledge related to health, disease, and health care which has been widely accepted by the scientific community. Moreover, schools that teach traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) do not prepare practitioners to make adequate diagnoses or provide appropriate treatment. This Web site provides information about acupuncture that is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere.

About Acupuncture Watch

• Mission Statement
• About Dr. Barrett

General Information

• Acupuncture, Qigong, and "Chinese Medicine"
• Why TCM Diagnosis Is Worthless (poted 3/26/08)
• National Council Against Health Fraud Position Paper
• Critique of the NIH Consensus Conference on Acupuncture

History

• Acupuncture History: Past and Present (1973)
• Another Tool of Health Quackery? (1973)
• The Uncharted Wilderness of Acupuncture (1973)
• Statement by the German Democratic Republic Academy of Sciences (1981)
• Nonsense with Needles (1993)
• Acupuncture: A History (1999)
• "Traditional" Chinese Veterinary Medicine: A Modern Fairy Tale

Research

• Adverse Events: A Systematic Review of Case Reports (posted 5/5/13)
• Moxibustion Overview (link to another site)
• Problems with Acupuncture Needles (posted 2/18/14)
• The Primo Vascular System: The N-rays of Acupuncture? (link to another site)

Regulation

• Acupuncture and the FDA
• Regulation of Acupuncture: A Complementary Medicine Framework (Little Hoover Commission Report) (posted 6/30/05)
• Disciplinary Actions by California Acupuncture Board, 5/96-9/08 (posted 3/2/09)
• Rhode Island Acupuncturist Arrested for Practicing without a License (posted 12/13/19)

Responses from the Acupuncture/TCM Community

• Comments from Acupuncture Practitioners and Students (posted 3/25/08)

Acupuncture Watch abides by the HONcode principles of the Health On the Net Foundation. Verify here.

Portions of Acupuncture Watch are updated several times a year.
Most recent update: December 13, 2019.

All articles on this Web site except government reports are copyrighted.
Single copies can be downloaded for personal education; other uses without authorization are illegal.
"Quackwatch" and the duck picture are service-marked; their unauthorized use is illegal.
Site design was developed by Marty Mapes of Boulder Information Services.

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