Eli5: how are treatments like acupuncture, kinetic tape and homeopathy still a thing, if scientific studies disproving their effectiveness are publicly available to everyone and doctors?
In: Biology
Science is a lot more complex than you might imagine. Just because one or even many studies have shown no effect from certain treatments, that _doesn’t mean there is no effect_. That’s why we document our experimental methods, so that further research can vary the parameters to see if that affects the results.
As an example, you mention acupuncture. This has actually been shown to be effective by a large number of studies, but many studies have also shown no effect. By claiming it has been disproven, you are placing more reliance on the studies that showed no effect.
Simply put, science requires interpretation and filtering. Many folks aren’t capable of that interpretation, so they rely on those they respect as experts. Often, humans being what they are, that respect comes from something other than a person’s scientific credentials, which is why celebrity endorsement is more effective than scientific research at getting people to buy your product.
So even more simply put, people trust movie stars more than scientists.
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