Acupuncture

Did you know that fake acupuncture is better than the real thing?

Sound crazy? Maybe - but it's true. Pretending to pierce the skin with toothpicks outperforms the use of acupuncture needles. To make matters worse, piercing the wrong places with needles can outperform piercing the right ones.

Acupuncture is all based around the idea that piercing the correct points of the body with needles will stimulate qi, a supernatural vitalistic fluid that flows through and around the body. This stimulation is claimed to perform many wonderful things, such as healing and pain relief.

If piercing the wrong place or even failing to pierce the skin at all outperforms the real thing, it's a bit like a pharmaceutical company that tries to put a new drug - with side effects - on the market despite that drug being outperformed by mere sugar pills.

We can say 'with side effects', because acupuncture is not risk free. There are risks to acupuncture. Risks such as accidental piercing of the vital tissues such as the heart, lungs, or spine. These kinds of side-effect can result in significant harm - in extreme cases, even death.

That outcome is a long-shot to be sure. But is it really worth the risk - however small - for a treatment that is demonstrably outperformed by toothpicks?

Consider C0nc0rdance's video on the subject, and judge for yourself.