Health Fair Thing at Work.

[LMNO]

HE'S OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO KILL YOU.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

HE'S OBVIOUSLY TRYING TO KILL YOU.

Well, none of YOU bastards will. 

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

He says I'll RUIN EVERYTHING.

Hey, he's not a stupid man, after all.   

I guess he DOES know you. :P

[Salty]

Did you know health insurance companies pay for acupuncture?

 

The only thing I've seen that can't be explained by placebo effect is that it lowers high blood pressure. And even that probably has more to do with placebo or human contact than magic.

[Junkenstein]

Did you know health insurance companies pay for acupuncture?

 

The only thing I've seen that can't be explained by placebo effect is that it lowers high blood pressure. And even that probably has more to do with placebo or human contact than magic.

Offhand, I'd guess the setting and atmosphere probably helps with that too. Not like many acupuncturists are playing black metal and such. More wind chimes. Something something ritualistic? Hence relaxing?

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Did you know health insurance companies pay for acupuncture?

 

The only thing I've seen that can't be explained by placebo effect is that it lowers high blood pressure. And even that probably has more to do with placebo or human contact than magic.

Fuckers fight tooth and nail to avoid paying for real treatment, but they'll pay for mumbo jumbo.

That says something.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

While I'm skeptical, I actually place the Truth Value of acupuncture over 50%.   That is, I have found slightly more evidence supporting some sort of beneficial effect from acupuncture than against.  At least enough to throw the issue into doubt.



Although the chakra thing is grounds for immediate disqualification.

This.

If I was going to try acupuncture, I wouldn't go to some gasbag babbling about chakras at health fairs.

[Junkenstein]

Did you know health insurance companies pay for acupuncture?

 

The only thing I've seen that can't be explained by placebo effect is that it lowers high blood pressure. And even that probably has more to do with placebo or human contact than magic.

Fuckers fight tooth and nail to avoid paying for real treatment, but they'll pay for mumbo jumbo.

That says something.

Well yeah, which one do you reckon costs more? I can see a health insurance firm emerging that only entitles you to "alternative" treatments. If I was running a health insurance firm, I'd have my phone monkeys talking about the benefits of homoeopathy all day long. Every bit of time wasted on that reduces my likely overall bill. The interim death toll from people talking the Steve Jobs approach to treatment (He'd be another fucker the phones wouldn't stop talking about. So wise. Such a visionary. Was getting better you know...) would mean massive fucking profits for me. Actual treatment? No, you're not covered for that. And you breached you policy by not telling us about that broken ankle at 3 years old so we're suing you.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

He really DOES need to let you go. Your meridians are all up in your chakras and your aura could have COOTIES, for all you know. I mean, you never do any CLEANSING RITUALS or anything, you could have ASSTRAIL GUINEA WORMS or some shit.

I vote you follow him around with some kind of Boss Fix crystal until he relents.

[East Coast Hustle]

I got acupuncture once because I was doing a report on it for school so I videotaped my session and made it part of my report.

I absolutely cannot speak to the scientific validity of it. I can say that it felt great, relaxed me immensely, and provided a great deal of relief from a football-related shoulder injury I was dealing with at the time. I was smart, though. I went to some wizened old chinese guy who barely spoke english instead of some new-age dipshit white guy from the burbs who had too much free time and bad dope in college. And it wasn't just needles either. He put some shit on me and lit it on fire and let it burn me. It was great. 10/10, would do again if my health plan covered it.

[Junkenstein]

BRB settling up insurance company

[Eater of Clowns]

I don't think the fair is going quite far enough.

Where's the paleo dietician? The crystal yogi? Where's the guy who uses slight of hand and a piece of bloody meat to pull tumors out of people's bodies? Someone has to be on hand to educate the public about water memory and the healing power of twice distilled glacial spring reverse osmosis mineral water with electrolytes.

[Salty]

There is an idea, put forth by some people looking through cadavers, that acupuncture meridian lines may correspond with fascia lines. That would make a lot of sense considering the nature of fascia and my own thoughts on how that tissue stores endocrine fluids that have to do with the emotional aspect of bodywork

I would say, finding someone fully trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine or the wizened old Chinese dude route for sure.

[Golden Applesauce]

I put acupuncture in the same category as "extreme massage." If hot rocks and rubbing relieves stress, why not needles? There seems to be something to the ritual + physical stimulus package that works on humans. I've had hypnosis explained to me as being in large part based on giving the conscious mind something to occupy itself with so the unconscious part can be brought forward and be more directly suggested - needles seem like they'd be pretty good as a thing to focus on while you suggest to the rest of the mind that healing is occurring. I think the use of stimulus/ritual in S&M and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subspace_(BDSM) works on similar principles.

ETA: a lot of (all?) Eastern massage/bodywork traditions explain themselves in terms of chi & chakra flows. I don't think that makes them any less effective. If anything, I'd expect that the more explicit inclusion of meditation would make them more effective at relaxation and stress reduction.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

He really DOES need to let you go. Your meridians are all up in your chakras and your aura could have COOTIES, for all you know. I mean, you never do any CLEANSING RITUALS or anything, you could have ASSTRAIL GUINEA WORMS or some shit.

I vote you follow him around with some kind of Boss Fix crystal until he relents.

Just went.

One of the clowns said "homeopathy" and I lost it.  Our company doctor was there (from Houston), and he and I stood off to one side pantomiming voodoo at people until my boss yelled at us.

There was absolutely nothing of value.  I may as well have gone to a fucking psychic fair.