I’m about to give you one of the best examples you’ve ever read about why hereditary governance is a bad idea. Other than George Bush, that is. William Gladstone was Prime Minister of England in the 1800s and is generally considered to be one of the greatest British politicians of the era. One of his descendants, model Olivia Inge, gives her baby acupuncture.
Celebrities and models are generally not the people to go to for medical advice. We know Gwyneth Paltrow is the queen of pseudoscience like the old jade egg in the vagina or vampire repellent spray, but plenty of celebrities are equally bad. Jenny McCarthy was an anti-vaxxer and Shailene Woodley eats clay to “cleanse toxins,” which is the most nonsene phrase anyone has ever used.
But sticking needles in a baby is a whole other level of terrible decision-making. I get that Inge is now an acupuncturist, but normally the people she performs her voodoo on are consenting adults who have agreed to waste their time and money getting tiny needles stuck all up in them. Your baby didn’t agree to have you use them as a pincushion because they have a cough.
Babies do respond well to acupuncture, and for a child that young acupuncture is safer than most medications normally prescribed for cough. Lumping acupuncture with pseudoscience is irresponsible. Doctors of acupuncture have four years of post graduate training and know what they can treat and what they need to refer out.
If she is trained as an acupuncturist, then she knows what she is doing and will be responsible. As far as calling acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Psuedoscience…Acupuncture has numerous studies showing efficacy. It is much safer than many other therapies, particularly where children are concerned. I understand this is an opinion piece, but a few minutes of research shows that acupuncture is a legitimate form of medicine. Also, children respond quickly and don’t always need the needles. However, the needles are safer and much smaller than with adults. Also the retention time (time they are left inside the body) is… Read more »
You clearly have no educational background in the efficacy and evidence-based research that has been done. Acupuncture is extremely effective for little ones. I am an licensed acupuncturist, registered by the board of medicine, I completed 4 years of post graduate work and completed 3 board exams including a biomedical. Do your research before you try to dissuade the public from acupuncture.