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Challenge Question Number 1 for Acupuncturist #1207

 Related Subject(s):
Biology
Health
Physical Education
Science
 Related Soft Skill(s):
Analyzing Information
Collecting Information
Identifying Problems
Listening
Reasoning
Solving Problems
Describe a typical "challenge" encountered in your work:
Determining a diagnosis in Oriental Medicine involves gathering information, forming a hypothesis and coming to a conclusion. I base the diagnosis on the pattern of symptoms the person tells me about. The health problem is usually the result of something going wrong at a deeper level. Seeing the pattern and deciding on a diagnosis is what most of my training was all about. It is a complicated way of looking at health problems but usually can determine what is the cause of the problem.

This is like the scientific method used to design experiments. Scientists gather information until they get some idea about how to explain some problem in science. Then they do an experiment to see if they can prove their idea. Deciding a diagnosis and then a treatment plan is the experiment that I perform.

When I give a treatment I always ask the person to pay attention to how they feel afterwards and then tell me about it at their next treatment. If the person improves, I have probably picked a correct diagnosis and given a correct treatment. I continue to modify my diagnosis and treatment plan as the person makes progress or shows a lack of progress.

The treatment I usually use is acupuncture. I also use herbal formulas and use other treatment techniques such as massage, cupping and moxibustion. Choosing acupuncture points is a skill as well as an art. The diagnosis I pick usually determines the acupuncture points I will use for a treatment since certain points have specific purposes. But all people are different; some are bigger, some are smaller. Some are weaker, older, and more nervous. Some are younger, stronger or more relaxed. I look at a lot of factors to determine which points I will use because different points have different effects.

This makes it more challenging to do controlled experiments to prove that acupuncture works. A common question that a lot of people ask is whether or not acupuncture works. Actually, there have been thousands of experiments done to prove the effectiveness of acupuncture treatments for various types of health problems. It is not as easy, though, as testing something like a single prescription drug.



Clearly describe what you expect from the students:
How would you design an experiment to prove that acupuncture worked for a certain health problem?

1. What are the steps for designing an experiment?

2. What makes an experiment a "controlled experiment"?

3. What health problem would you select to test?

Assume that you could find out which acupuncture points are commonly used for treating the health problem you chose. Describe how you would design a controlled experiment to determine if acupuncture is effective for that health problem.



In order to give the teacher some guidance in evaluating the student's project(s); list some tips that may help to assess the student's work:
---How many groups of people would you need for your experiment?

---How many people would you have in each group?

---How many times would you repeat the experiment to be confident of your results?

---For example, there are a few acupuncture points on the ankles that are used for treating low back pain due to overuse or fatigue. Would you choose incorrect points to treat people who are in the "control group" of the experiment or would you choose some other treatment procedure to test against the acupuncture treatment like a pain medication or massage or physical therapy?

---Pick your hypothesis based on what your are actually trying to find out. Are you testing is acupuncture can treat a certain type or health problem or are you trying to find out if acupuncture is the better choice for treatment?

---What is the basis you will use to determine that your hypothesis is correct or that your experiment worked? How much should the health problem improve? How will you "measure" that improvement? How long should the person show improvement to prove that your test was correct?

--What other questions should you ask to truly test whether acupuncture treatments work?




 
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