NEWS AND COMMENT

sensus Development Conference con- Two Views on Acupuncture: NIH and cluded that "[tjhere is sufficient evi- dence ... of acupuncture's value to SRAM Dispute Validity, Efficacy expand its use into conventional medi- cine and to encourage further studies of In November, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a statement of a consensus- its physiology and clinical value." The development conference on acupuncture. The statement was widely reported in the news panel also suggested that the federal gov- media and generally interpreted as providing new scientific legitimacy to at least certain ernment and insurance companies aspects of acupuncture. Below we print the Conclusions and Recommendations section of expand coverage of acupuncture to the eighteen-page NIH report (the full report can be found on the World Wide Web at allow more people access to treatment. http:llconsensus.nih.gov) followed by a statement responding to it from the editors of the The NIH Consensus panel is the off- new Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine. spring of the NIH s Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM). The OAM was This is the Conclusions and Recom- plausible mechanisms for the therapeutic started by the NIH in 1992 to evaluate mendations section of the NIH Consensus effects of acupuncture is encouraging. alternative treatments and to provide Development Conference Statement, The introduction of acupuncture information on unconventional health- "Acupuncture," November 3-5, 1997: into the choice of treatment modalities care services. But since its formation, it that are readily available to the public is has come under harsh criticism for its Acupuncture as a therapeutic interven- in its early stages. Issues of training, bias. "The 'consensus' was a consensus of tion is widely practiced in the United licensure, and reimbursement remain to proponents, not a consensus of valid States. There have been many studies of be clarified. There is sufficient evidence, scientific opinion. The presentation of its potential usefulness. However, many however, of acupuncture's value to acupuncture for the conditions sug- of these studies provide equivocal results expand its use into conventional medi- gested by the conference is classic pseu¬ because of design, sample size, and other cine and to encourage further studies of doscience. It showed the promoters as factors. The issue is further complicated its physiology and clinical value. ideologically motivated instead of scien- by inherent difficulties in the use of tifically objective," says Sampson. appropriate controls, such as placebo What follows is the statement issued "It is outrageous to suggest that and sham acunpuncture groups. November 10 by the editors of the insurance premiums rise in order to However, promising results have Scientific Review of Alternative provide for acupuncture visits. These emerged, for example, efficacy of Medicine: conclusions do not fit with science, acupuncture in adult post-operative and rather they reflect the bias of the NIH chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and Scientists and Physicians Condemn panelists who were selected by a plan- in post-operative dental pain. There are NIH Endorsement of Acupuncture ning committee dominated by acupunc- other situations such as addiction, ture proponents," says Dr. Stephen stroke rehabilitation, headache, men- Leading physicians and scientists, all Barren, M.D., Contributing Editor to strual cramps, tennis elbow, fibromyal- editors of the Scientific Review of SRAM and head of Quackwatch, Inc. gia myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, low Alternative Medicine (SRAM), dispute Answers to the reported success of back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and the National Institutes of Health's acupuncture can be found in human asthma where acupuncture may be use- (NIH) endorsement of acupuncture as a psychology. "Perceived effects of acu- ful as an adjunct treatment or an accept- treatment for pain and other conditions. puncture are probably due to a combina- able alternative or be included in a com- "Acupuncture is an unproven treatment. tion of expectation, suggestion, counter- prehensive management program. The best studies of acupuncture show irritation, conditioning, and other psy- Further research is likely to uncover that it is no more effective than placebos chological mechanisms," says Barrett. additional areas where acupuncture (inactive treatments). The NIH panel The confounding influence of these psy- interventions will be useful. was conceived in all likelihood with an chological mechanism, creates a number of experimental difficulties in accurately Findings from basic research have agenda to promote the acceptance of evaluating acupuncture's effectiveness. begun to elucidate the mechanisms of acupuncture by the public, press, insur- Few studies have satisfied control action of acupuncture, including the ance plans, HMOs, and federal and requirements, leaving supportive scien- release of opioids and other peptides in state medical plans," says Dr. Wallace tific evidence insufficient or nonexistent. the central nervous system and the Sampson, M.D., Editor of SRAM and periphery and changes in neuroen- Clinical Professor of Medicine at "It is easy to reach a consensus when docrine function. Although much needs Stanford University. dissenters are systematically excluded to be accomplished, the emergence of On November 6, the NIH Con- from the discussion. At this point I

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER March/April 1998 5 NEWS AND COMMENT

would have to say that the consensus Scientist, November 15)- hypervelocity impacts into the Earth report is seriously flawed because con- "It was a conference of believers [who] and other planets, and have been instru- trary and cautionary voices were not recited their delusions as fact," said mental in other projects in the earth and heard," says Barry Beyerstein, Ph.D., Victor Herbert, professor of medicine at geophysical sciences. Sandia's workforce Professor of Psychology at Simon Fraser the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in of 7,540 includes 1,350 technical staff University, British Columbia. New York. He dismissed acupuncture as members with Ph.D.s. In addition to Traditionally acupuncture has been "pseudo-religious cultism" (Nature, their research, many Sandia scientists based on the premise that there are pat- November 13). have helped to advance science educa- terns of energy flow (Qi) through the The organizers of the conference nev- tion, including serving as part-time body that are essential for health. ertheless vigorously defended the panel "science advisors" in Disruptions of this flow are believed to and the process as fair. schools. be responsible for disease. The acupunc- Sandia physicist Mark Boslough, one turist can supposedly correct imbalances To read the National Council Against of many Sandians who has promoted of flow at identifiable points close to the Health Fraud's position paper on acupunc- stronger science education standards for skin. However, despite considerable ture, visit the Web site for Quackwatch Inc. the state's schools, drafted a letter of efforts to understand the anatomy and at http:llunvw.quackwatch.com/acu.htmL response and circulated it to colleagues physiology of the "acupuncture points," For more information about the at Sandia. The letter was carefully the definition and characterization of Scientific Review of Alternative Medi- phrased to assert an unassailable pro- these points remains controversial. Even scientific position and narrowly focused more elusive is the scientific basis of cine call 1-800-421-0351 • not to raise side issues. On November some of the key traditional Eastern medical concepts such as the circulation 26, their letter appeared in the of Qi, the meridian system, and the five 32 Sandia Scientists Sign Albuquerque Journal. It was signed by phases theory, which are difficult to rec- Statement on Validity of thirty-two Sandia scientists, including oncile widi contemporary biomedical Boslough and Rick Buss, a principal information but continue to play an Earth Dating member of rhe technical staff. important role in the evaluation of Consensus at Sandia Behind patients and the formulation of treat- Scientists' sensitivities were rubbed par- Radiometrics ment in acupuncture. ticularly raw when a reader, steeped in creationism and upset about an earlier Re: "Geological Clues or Red Concludes Sampson: "The report article by Albuquerque Journal science Herring?" letter by John Woffard— states that '[t]he data in support of reporter John Fleck ("N.M.'s Rocks acupuncture are as strong as those for Hold Clues to Earth's Age"), published a Woffard incorrectly stated that many accepted Western [. . .] medical critical letter to the editor in the news- many of the top scientists at Sandia therapies.' The 'consensus' stretches the Labs agree with Bishop Ussher's 17th paper's November 3 issue. Referring to century proclamation that the Earth point to unacceptable conclusion. When Bishop Ussher's proclamation that the is approximately 6,000 years old. consensus conferences are held at the Earth was six thousand years old, the let- On the contrary, Sandia has con- NIH on controversial methods with as ter writer asserted that "many top scien- tributed to (he body of modem little evidence for them that acupuncture tists agree with Ussher, including many research that supports the Earth's true has, the usual scientific response is to of the top scientists at Sandia Labs." age of about 4.5 billion years. Some recommend against use of those meth- Sandia programs make use of die same Sandia National Laboratories, based reliable radiometric dating techniques ods, not to approve and adopt them." that tell us how old our planet is. in Albuquerque, is one of the nation's largest R&D facilities. A U.S. Depart- We think that any Sandia scientist * « • among us who really believes that he ment of Energy national laboratory with or she has a sound technical argument major missions in national security, against these methods, and for a Those weren't the only criticisms. "There Sandia advances the frontiers of technol- young Earth, would surely present a really aren't any good studies," said John ogy in physics and chemistry, supercom¬ seminar or try to publish an internal Loeser, director of the Multidisciplinary puting and computational science, intel- report before testifying at a school board meeting. Pain Center at the University of ligent machines and robotics, microelec- To our knowledge, this has never Washington at Seattle. Allan Basbaum, a tronics, materials science, and a host of happened at Sandia. We suspect mat pain researcher at the University of other scientific and engineering fields. it never will, regardless of what our California at San Francisco agreed: "I Sandia scientists have worked toward children are taught in school. don't find the evidence compelling mat the long-term disposal of nuclear waste it's any different than a placebo" (New in stable geologic repositories, simulated It has been a particular concern and

6 March/April 1998 NEWS AND COMMENT

embarrassment to many Sandians—not based on ignorance of die young-Earth Laboratories advocates anything other just its scientists but nonscientist mem- arguments. He also said his own effort dian scientifically supported evidence bers of die laboratory staff and some in years ago to present a Sandia collo- about die Earth's age and history. upper management—that the positive quium on his creationist views had been scientific and educational activities of vetoed by a Sandia executive vice presi- — and Sandia Labs' scientists sometimes get dent. Christopher K. Frazier overshadowed by the actions of two Boslough responded widi a letter members of Sandia's technical staff who published January 8, 1998. He said Kendrick Frazier is editor of the are active creationists. One, Russell Sandia scientists' consensus acceptance SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. Chris Frazier is in Humphreys, is a member of the of radiometric dating is based not on the Department of Biology at the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) faith, as Humphreys had implied, but University of New Mexico. and is very active both locally and on "rigorous theory, laboratory testing, nationally; die other quotes ICR teach- and independent field confirmation." ings and is an appointed member of the Boslough re-emphasized the total State Board of Education. Both often A Victory in Australia: absence of any peer-reviewed scientific make public statements on behalf of work by Humphreys in support of his Creation Science anti-evolution, pro-creationist view- young-Earth views: points and are frequently quoted in the Foundation Removes news in that regard. According to a Sandia database, 'Science' from Name Humphreys has never even attempted The two have actively challenged to publish any evidence contrary to draft science-teaching standards that the prevailing views on radiometric The Australian Skeptics are celebrating a include evolution. Their opposition has dating. A logical conclusion is that he tactical victory over the main creationist helped remove evolution and evidence doesn't really believe he has a sound propaganda organization in Australia. technical argument. Humphreys him- about the ancient age of Earth from The Queensland-based Creation self recently responded to an e-mail standards for teaching science in New query by admitting that he had not Science Foundation (CSF), which has, Mexico schools and has sidetracked published his rejection of radiometric for approximately twenty years, spear- efforts to bring these subjects back (see dating methods because he had not headed the promotion of the anti- "'Evolution' Loses Out in New Mexico even analyzed them. scientific dogma of creation "science" in Science Standards," SI, November/ Humphreys has never been able to Australian schools, announced in December 1996, pp. 8-9). As an alterna- provide a citation to any scientific lit- November that, henceforth, the organi- tive diey offer "intelligent design theory" erature supporting his view, nor has zation will trade under the name —essentially a euphemism for special he been able to come up with the name of a single other Sandia scientist Answers in Genesis (AIG). creation—something that both scien- who believes the Earth is 6,000 years By removing any reference to science tists and creationists agree is a way to get old. from its tide, and by adopting its new creationism into die classroom. Seldom name, the group is finally acknowledg- is it indicated that they are offering their Boslough ended by reiterating the ing what the Australian Skeptics have personal views, not the scientific posi- always maintained, that the organization tion of die laboratory. Seldom is it men- crucial importance of peer review and its represents only a peculiarly narrow fun- tioned diat dieir views are not based in absence in diis case. He criticized "the damentalist religious dogma, which has any way on work diey have done, or ease by which die popular press allows nodiing whatever to do with science. even presented for peer review, at die him [Humphreys] to bypass the peer- laboratory. Such peer review is a stan- review process normally required by AIG, announcing its conversion to a dard procedure that scientists are Sandia to protect taxpayers from shoddy more honest title in its publication expected to follow at Sandia just as research. It would be wise to question Prayer News (November 1997), claimed everywhere else. any claim by a scientist who published it diat its U.S. offshoot, the Kentucky- only in newspaper letters and presents it based Answers in Genesis, set up by for- Following publication of the Sandia only at school board meetings." mer CSF director Ken Ham, has had scientists' letter, Russell Humphreys The published statement signed by success under die new name and that all published a response in the Albuquerque thirty-two scientists has general signifi- of dieir associated "ministries" would now use this title. In what was no doubt Journal. Writing as though die collective cance in the evolution/creationism edu- unconscious irony, it also claimed diat letter had been from only one person cational controversy nationally as well as die new name will be "less easily con- (Buss) and not from thirty-two fellow in New Mexico. The scientists who fused, even unconsciously, with cultic Sandia scientists, Humphreys alleged signed it say they hope it will dispel any groups like 'Christian Science' and (incorrectly) that Buss's opposition was impression that Sandia National

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER March/April 1998 7 NEWS AND COMMENT

'Scientology.'" tional. Most were simply videocassette same statements would be true of the The Australian Skeptics, while boxes containing a plastic board that average person. Then they were asked to regarding this belated change as a tacti- looked like a circuit board and some estimate how likely it was that a given cal victory, said diey will nevertheless wiring. The item sold for $395. Udall number of the statements would apply maintain their vigilance and opposition asked the court to return money from to the average person. Lastly, die respon- to any future attempts by the creationist consumers and bar further sales of the dents were asked their age, gender, and minority, under whatever name, to seek devices, and to impose civil penalties of whether they believed in extrasensory to inject intellectually barren dogma $5,000 per incident. The number of vic- perception. into school curricula. tims is unknown, but the state District One reason for the study was to test They also expect that this move will Court will decide how many misrepre- the theory of probability misjudg- stimulate some more vigorous opposi- sentations were made. A federal racket- ment—the theory that believers in the tion to the creationist propaganda from eering law allows the Attorney General paranormal are likely to show worse Australia's mainstream religions, now to seek treble damages. probability judgments and greater that they are being directly challenged underestimates of chance coincidences on their own turf. — than nonbelievers. Probability misjudgement t h e o r y predicts that believers will ascribe unusual events as miraculous or —Barry Williams Benjamin Radford is a writer in Corrales, paranormal, when they are simply New Mexico. unusual or unlikely. T h e theory also sug- Barry Williams is the executive officer of gests that clients of psychics underesti- the Australian Skeptics. mate the chance that something that is Survey Finds 70% of true for them is also true for others (and hence can be easily guessed by the psy- State Attorney General Women, 48% of Men chic) and underestimate the chance of Believe in Paranormal several guesses simultaneously being Targets 'Psychic' Gadget true. Fraud A newspaper survey of readers of Great Britain's Daily Telegraph revealed that Probability misjudgement theory was, The Attorney General of New Mexico, nearly 60 percent of 6,238 respondents in fact, not supported by the survey. Tom Udall, filed an eleven-count civil believed in the paranormal. Of the Probability estimates of respondents lawsuit against an Albuquerque firm women sampled, 70 percent believed in were generally good and did not differ- that claimed its products could detect paranormal, compared with 48 percent entiate between believers and nonbeliev- ghosts and speak to animals. The law- of the men. The survey tested but found ers. This finding, in so large a sample, suit, filed on November 6, 1997, claims no evidence to support the theory that suggests that misjudgements of probabil- that John J. Williams and Laurencia misjudgements of probability are greater ity are not likely to be an important fac- Williams, under the company name among believers than nonbelievers. tor in the determination of paranormal Consumertronics, Inc., intentionally The study, published recently in the beliefs. misrepresented their devices and that British Journal of Psychology (88 [1997]: Believers reported far more of the Williams misrepresented himself as a 683-689), was part of British Science statements true for themselves than did former weapons engineer and physicist. and Technology Week in March 1994. nonbelievers. Why this would be so is The author of the study was psycholo- One of the Consumertronics devices uncertain; possibly there are real lifestyle gist Susan J. Blackmore of the was a "Sixth Sense Communicator," differences between the groups, or per- University of the West of England. She which supposedly facilitated communi¬ haps the believers simply used more says it is by far the largest study ever cation with animals, psychic healing, inclusive categories when answering the conducted on probability misjudgement. seances, and "sexual stimulation," or it questions, therefore garnering more pos- could simply function as a "conversation A questionnaire was published in the itive responses. piece," according to the advertising. Daily Telegraph, listing ten statements of In general, the percentage of "true for Another device, an "Ultra-Sensitive the kind that might be produced by psy- me" responses for the individual state- Unknown Presence Detector," was chics, such as "There is someone called ments was quite high, as high as 37 per- touted to detect ghosts and spirits. Jack in my family" or "Last night I cent for one statement. As Blackmore dreamed of someone I hadn't seen for A retired University of New Mexico notes, "You might easily be impressed if many years." Respondents were first electrical engineering professor exam- a psychic correctly told you the name of asked if the statements were true of ined the devices at Udall s request and a specific piece of music you owned. them, and then if they believed that the found the items worthless and nonfunc- However, nearly 30 percent owned the

8 March/April 1998 SKEPTICAL INQUIRER NEWS AND COMMENT

music chosen here (Handel's Water Haddam. The show had received Houdini, however, was not silent. He Music). And 21 percent had a Jack in mediocre reviews and, perhaps in an did relay at least one message. Certainly, their family. Clients are often impressed attempt to boost public interest, the it is interesting to know what Houdini, by accurate names given, even when "Official Houdini Seance" was held in dead now for seventy-one years, felt was these are fairly common names. This the theater at midnight after the October most important to convey in this first figure suggests that a correct name 31 performance. The goal, of course, was "successful" contact from the other side. might quite easily be obtained with rel- to contact the great magician. Did Houdini describe the afterlife, or atively little probing." The stance was conducted by did he share his experience of the mind While the sample was not random, it medium Elaine Kuzmeskus. Also pre- of God? Well, actually, no. After all this was the largest of its kind taken to date. sent was a local Connecticut psychic, time, Houdini's message was a bit more A survey taken in 1973 by Christopher Barbara Dryden-Masse. After some pre- pedestrian and practical; he thought the Evans and published in New Scientist liminaries, Kuzmeskus informed the play was a bit overlong and needed a lit- found tftat 67 percent of the respon- packed theatre that Houdini was, in tle punching up in the humor depart- dents thought ESP was likely or certain fact, in attendance. Remarkably, ment (no, I am not making this up). If I to exist, compared with 59 percent in Houdini's memory and famed magical were one of the producers, I would be Blackmore's study. As both surveys were abilities have faded on the other side. more than a bit worried; after all, if a published in magazines or periodicals, According to a report in the Hartford dead guy can figure out a play is in trou- the respondents were self-selected and Courant ("Houdini Eludes Psychic at ble, I can't imagine what the New York nonrandom, and therefore the results Seance," November 1, 1997), Houdini critics will say about it. cannot be generalized to die whole pop- did not recognize the names of people ulation. important in his life as relayed to him —Ken Feder through the medium and psychic, nor —Benjamin Radford could he discern the contents of a sealed Ken Feder is a CSICOP fellow and an envelope supplied by Houdini historian anthropologist at Central Connecticut Larry Weeks. State University. D Everyone's a Critic: 'Houdini' Gives Play Thumbs Down

The anniversary of the death of Ehrich Weiss, better known as Harry Houdini, has once again passed without any con- tact from the other side. Most know that Houdini and his wife had agreed that whoever died first would attempt to contact the survivor. Houdini joined the choir invisible on October 31, 1926, and his wife began the wait for a secret message the two had agreed upon and that only she, Houdini, and Houdini's brother knew. She never heard that mes- sage and declared before her death in 1943 that the experiment had been a failure. Since his wife's death, every year on October 31, others have attempted to contact Houdini, alas without any demonstrable success. The attempt last year had a special significance in Con- necticut, where a musical play about Houdini's life was in a pre-Broadway run at the Goodspeed Opera House in East

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