The Straight Dope: Does acupuncture really work?

[Send questions for Cecil Adams: cecil@straightdope.com](mailto:cecil@straightdope.com) FOLLOW CECIL ADAMS ON [TWITTER]( AND [FACEBOOK](! [000324.gif] THREADSPOTTING: THE BEST OF THE STRAIGHT DOPE MESSAGE BOARD — 12/05/2019 Here's your stuff back. Maybe. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 — 03/24/2000 Dear Cecil: I agree with you that homeopathy is bunk, but what about acupuncture? Most of the commentary I've seen so far has been of the "maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, more research is needed" variety. Come on, I've been reading about acupuncture for years — surely medical science has been able to form some tentative conclusions by now. — Carol Fanchamps, Sturtavant, Wisconsin Cecil replies: I’m tired of always pouring cold water on these things, so I’m not going to say acupuncture is silly. Who am I to make light of a therapy just because it uses the same technology as the voodoo doll? Getting miracle drugs from bread mold looked pretty stupid once, too. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE STAFF REPORT — 04/04/2006 Dear Straight Dope: My daughter informs me that the date 6/6/06 is coming up. Being a little disappointed at our last couple examples of doomsday hype, I wanted to know if there was anything to worry about. Should I start going to church? What's the origin of the "mark of the beast"? Was it truly supposed to represent Satan or is it a gematria interpretation of Julius Caesar's name? — John Escalante, Los Angeles SDStaff Dex replies: You’d better believe you should worry, John. Where do you get off, making fun of prior doomsday hypes? The last time we had such a conflux of 666 was June 6, 1666 — the date of the Great Fire that destroyed London. OK, the fire was actually September 2, not June 6, but we’re not going to quibble about a few months, are we? And remember September 11 — if you add the digits 9+11 you get 20, which is just two more than 6+6+6! Even worse, if you include the year 2001, the sum of the digits is 23, which is just one short of 6+6+6+6!!! [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 — 10/26/2001 Dear Cecil: The movie Moulin Rouge has a sequence about drinking absinthe and the apparent hallucinogenic effects of same. Now a wire story, widely reproduced, announces the new Absente brand of absinthe that is made with "southern wormwood" and is legal and safe. The story goes on to say that the regular absinthe was banned because it contained a neurotoxin. Weird things happened back in the early 20th century (cocaine in cola, "killer weed," etc.), so I have to wonder: Was there really a neurotoxin in absinthe? Was it hallucinogenic? Will it rot your brain? Would it be fun? — Drew, via the Internet Cecil replies: Oh, sure, no end to the fun you can have with absinthe. Like grand mal epileptic seizures, example, which many blamed on the legendary liqueur. But no one is sure whether seizures and other pyrotechnic effects of absinthe were the result of the ingredient wormwood, which contains the neurotoxin you’re talking about, or just acute alcohol poisoning. The only way to know for sure would be to compare the physiological effects of absinthe consumption with those of pure alcohol and see which rots the brains more. Any interest in being a lab rat? [Click here]( for more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [View this message as a webpage](. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To advertise on The Straight Dope, contact Rich Hummel at rhummel@suntimes.com [Privacy Policy/Terms of Use]( • [Unsubscribe]( © 2019 Straight Dope, LLC. 30 N Racine Ave. Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60607