VOA常速英语2007-Study Says Acupuncture Superior Best Treatment f

By Carol Pearson
Washington
02 October 2007
 

There is an interesting study out that says acupuncture¹ treatment appears to be more effective than conventional therapy in treating lower back pain.  And it may be more effective than conventional treatment even if the acupuncture is done incorrectly.  That is the puzzling part.  VOA's Carol Pearson reports on a study conducted by German scientists at the University Regensburg.

Acupuncture is an ancient medical procedure that dates back thousands of years in China.  Needles are inserted into particular areas of the body to reduce pain.

The odd thing is, no one knows precisely² how acupuncture works, but for patients like Karol Stronger that does not matter.

"I'm very happy with the acupuncture that I've had so far.  And I certainly think it has improved my back."

Back pain is one of the most common reasons people see their doctors. This latest study looked at more than 1100 patients with chronic³ lower back pain. 

Some got traditional acupuncture.  Others had acupuncture done incorrectly, while still others received traditional Western treatment -- exercise, physical therapy and painkillers⁴.

The results: nearly 50 percent of those who had traditional acupuncture said their pain was significantly reduced.  Even among those who had the incorrect treatment, nearly as many reported a significant reduction in back pain.

Those who had conventional Western therapy turned out to be the least likely to have some pain relief.  Little more than 25 percent in this group said their suffering was reduced. The results have experts wondering whether pain relief from acupuncture comes from the body's reactions to any thin needle pricks⁶.

Dr. Holly⁷ Thacker at the Cleveland Clinic says, "It certainly does seem to stimulate⁸ endorphins, which are the body's natural pain killers⁵ and mood-elevating substances."

Other doctors speculate acupuncture might be nothing more than mind over matter -- a placebo⁹.  But Dr. Julie Lin specializes in spinal¹⁰ and sports-related injuries.  She says if acupuncture is nothing more than a placebo that is OK with her. "I feel it doesn't matter if whether it is a placebo effect or not as long a we can get our patients better.  The end result is all we're looking for."

Doctors consider acupuncture so safe that many encourage their patients to try it, even though it remains¹¹ a mystery as to how it actually works.

1 acupuncture   

n.针灸，针刺法，针疗法

参考例句：

• Written records show that acupuncture dates back to the Song Dynasty.文字记载表明，宋朝就已经有了针灸。
• It's known that acupuncture originated in China.众所周知，针灸起源于中国。

2 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

3 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

4 painkillers   

n.止痛药( painkiller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some painkillers to ease the pain. 医生给了他一些止疼片以减缓疼痛。 来自辞典例句
• The primary painkillers - opiates, like OxyContin - are widely feared, misunderstood and underused. 人们对主要的镇痛药——如鸦片剂奥施康定——存在广泛的恐惧、误解，因此没有充分利用。 来自时文部分

5 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

6 pricks   

刺痛( prick的名词复数 )； 刺孔； 刺痕； 植物的刺

参考例句：

• My skin pricks sometimes. 我的皮肤有时感到刺痛。
• You must obey the rule. It is useless for you to kick against the pricks. 你必须遵守规定，对抗对你是无益的。

7 holly   

n.[植]冬青属灌木

参考例句：

• I recently acquired some wood from a holly tree.最近我从一棵冬青树上弄了些木料。
• People often decorate their houses with holly at Christmas.人们总是在圣诞节时用冬青来装饰房屋。

8 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

9 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

10 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。