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Meet the Interstitium, the Largest Organ We Never Knew We Had (thedailybeast.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Daily Beast: A study published in Scientific Reports on Tuesday suggests that a previously unknown organ has been found in the human body. More astonishingly, the paper puts forth the idea that this new organ is the largest by volume among all 80 organs -- if what the researchers found is, in fact, an organ. The new organ, [pathologist Neil Theise] explained, was a thin layer of dense connective tissue throughout the body, sandwiched just under our skin and within the middle layer of every visceral organ. The organ also made up all the fascia, or the thin mesh of tissue separating every muscle and all the tissue around every vein and artery, from largest to smallest. What initially seemed to be a solid, dense, connective tissue layer was actually a complex network of fluid-filled cavities that are strong and flexible, yet so tiny and undiscerning that they escaped the attention of the brightest scientific minds for generations. In fact, Theise expanded, this "interstitium" could explain many of modern medicine's mysteries, often dismissed by the establishment as either silly or explainable by other phenomena. Take acupuncture, Theise said -- that energetic healing jolt may be traced to the interstitium. Or perhaps the interstitium acted as a "shock absorber," something that protected other organs and muscles in daily function. Also, the space is in direct communication with the lymphatic system as the origin of lymph fluid -- which means the interstitium's system of fluid-filled backroads could explain the metastasis of cancer cells and their quick spread beyond the limits of the organ in which the cancer started.
In any case it's complete bollocks, the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ is the largest organ. Everyone knows that.
Well, everyone should know it.
The problem is that acupuncture rarely has effects either. In every test it has shown to only be as effective as a placebo. Even in China it was recognized as quackery and outlawed.
> You can not really test acupuncture with double blind studies, or how should the one poking you not know, kr know if he is really poking you?
It's testable by "poking" somewhere else than where the practitioner would plan. As I understand it, Different practitioners have different patterns for what disorders or issues are treated by different acupuncture points. If there is no verifiable association between the acupuncture points and the disorders, if it doesn't matter which acupuncture points are used, then that indicates it's a placebo effect.
And accupuncture works quite fine, no idea why americans are so anti to thousands of years old proven working technologies, that basically cost nothing und rarely have side effects.
Replace "americans" with "rational people" and you will get an answer.
For example, you will learn that the whole
"thousands of years" is bullshit.
Oops.
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
You can not really test accupuncture with double blind studies, or how should the one poking you not know, kr know if he is really poking you? And how can you mot know if you get poked or not?
There where attempts with double blind studies, where they used kind of electrodes to cause a fake sensation: turned out that electric stimulation had the same effect as a real needle. Hence we have since 30 years electronic and even laser based self accupuncture aparatus.
And accupuncture works quite fine, no idea why americans are so anti to thousands of years old proven working technologies, that basically cost nothing und rarely have side effects.
They've proven through experiment that acupuncture is worthless. It doesn't matter at all whether the acupuncturist uses the "correct" points or if they make up locations to stick in the needle, or whether they pierce the skin or just poke you with a pointy tool.
The double blind is that the person recording the experiment and tallying results, and the patient, doesn't know if the "professional" used the right point or not. Or if the skin was pierced. They just confirm the report from the patient on their symptom relief and how long it allegedly lasts, with no chance of introducing bias due to knowing whether the patient was properly acupunctured or was a control.
The benefit of acupuncture has been proven to be 100% placebo effect. It's true the placebo effect is cheap and has no side effects. It even works. That's why it's the placebo effect. The problem is using it in place of actual real effective proven medicine. Go ahead and use it for pain relief or to stop smoking; it's just as effective as pills. Just don't use it to treat cancer.