The problem with acupuncture is that if you do true controlled double-blind studies, it fails every time. In a valid study you would have a group to who my gave a completely neutral treatment (usually a sugar pill) or did nothing, you would have another group that got acupuncture from an acupuncturist, and you would have another group who had acupuncture needles stuck into random (computer-generated) points in their body by someone who was not an acupuncturist. When you do this sort of study, all three do almost exactly the same.

What is at work is the placebo effect (or its counterpart the nocebo effect). This can be a very powerful way in which the body cares for itself. The problem is that we know far less about how to trigger the placebo effect than the shamans and witch doctors and faith healers of times past.

When my wife had menstral cramps I just smoked a joint and she and her cramps were much less bothersome.

The problem may become so bad for about 10 percent of younger women that they cannot go to work, resulting in billions of dollars in lost wages and productivity on the job annually.

Hey! We found the real reason women earn less money!