Anyone who has suffered from back pain knows that when the throbbing gets bad enough, you’ll try anything to find relief — heating pads, acupuncture, pain relievers, physical therapy, even poking yourself with toothpicks.
What?
Yes, toothpicks. Researchers at the Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle found that “fake” acupuncture using toothpicks instead of needles was as effective as the traditional Chinese healing method for relieving back pain.
Daniel Cherkin, a senior investigator at the center, gathered 638 patients with chronic low back pain, none of whom had ever had acupuncture, and gave them one of three different acupuncture treatments. One group received individual care in the classic model of the ancient Chinese practice in which the acupuncturist analyzes the patient’s overall health by studying his body and lifestyle, taking his pulse and looking at his tongue
