Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T05:23:57.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

8 - Pain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2023

Stephen Hupp
Affiliation:
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Cara L. Santa Maria
Affiliation:
Fielding Graduate University, California
Get access

Summary

This chapter describes pseudoscience and questionable ideas related to somatic symptoms. The chapter opens by discussing the challenge inherent in measuring treatment gains in subjectively reported symptoms. Dubious treatments discussed include acupuncture, hypnosis, homeopathy, herbal remedies, cannabidiol products, dietary supplements, and medical devices (e.g., mystical patches). The chapter closes by reviewing research-supported approaches.

Type
Chapter
Information
Pseudoscience in Therapy
A Skeptical Field Guide
, pp. 111 - 124
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR). American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Beyerstein, B. (1997). Why bogus therapies seem to work. www.skepticalinquirer.org.Google Scholar
Byrne, S. (2015). Why you should avoid ice for a sprained ankle. www.consumerreports.org.Google Scholar
Cafasso, J. (2020). Red light therapy benefits. www.healthline.com.Google Scholar
Chambless, D. L., & Hollon, S. D. (1998). Defining empirically supported therapies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 66(1), 718.Google Scholar
Colquhoun, D., & Novella, S. P. (2013). Acupuncture is theatrical placebo. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 116(6), 13601363.Google Scholar
Ehde, D. M., Dillworth, T. M., & Turner, J. A. (2014). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for individuals with chronic pain: Efficacy, innovations, and directions for research. American Psychologist, 69(2), 153166.Google Scholar
Ernst, E., Lee, M. S., & Choi, T. Y. (2011). Acupuncture: Does it alleviate pain and are there serious risks? A review of reviews. Pain, 152, 755764.Google Scholar
Federal Trade Commission. (2021). FTC approves final administrative consent orders against sellers of deceptively marketed CBD products. www.ftc.gov.Google Scholar
Gorski, D. (2018). Luminas pain relief patches: Where the words “quantum” and “energy” really mean “magic.” www.respectfulinsolence.com.Google Scholar
Hall, H. A. (2020). Homeopathy. www.skepdoc.info.Google Scholar
Hall, H. A. (2021). Energy medicine pain relief patches are laughable quackery. www.sciencebasedmedicine.com.Google Scholar
Holmes, O. W. (1842). Homoeopathy, and its kindred delusions: Two lectures delivered before the Boston society for the diffusion of useful knowledge. William D. Ticknor.Google Scholar
Ingraham, P. (2020). Heat for pain and rehab: A detailed guide to using heat as therapy for acute and chronic pain and recovery from injury. www.painscience.com.Google Scholar
Ingraham, P. (2021). Zapped! Does TENS work for pain? The peculiar popularity of being gently zapped with electrical stimulation therapy. www.painscience.com.Google Scholar
Jiao, S., Tsutani, K., & Haga, N. (2013). Review of Cochrane reviews on acupuncture: How Chinese resources contribute to Cochrane reviews. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 19(7), 613621. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2012.0113Google Scholar
Lopez, C. A. (1993). Franklin and Mesmer: An encounter. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, 66(4), 325331.Google Scholar
Loudon, I. (2006). A brief history of homeopathy. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 99(12), 607610.Google Scholar
McDonald, R. C. (1979). Hypnosis and hypothesis: A new graphic. Canadian Family Physician, 25, 200208.Google Scholar
Miracle Balance. (n.d.). Holographic discs. www.miraclebalance.net.Google Scholar
Novella, S. (2015). Whole body cryotherapy. www.sciencebasedmedicine.org.Google Scholar
Pinches, S. (2020). TaoPatch – Is it a scam? www.painreliefpatchreviews.com.Google Scholar
Rossini, M., Viapiana, O., Gatti, D., de Terlizzi, F., & Adami, S. (2010). Capacitively coupled electric field for pain relief in patients with vertebral fractures and chronic pain. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 468(3), 735740.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
The Medical Letter. (2021). Ashwagandha supplements. www.medicalletter.org.Google Scholar
Weitzenhoffer, A. M., Gough, P. B., & Landes, J. (1959). A study of the Braid effect: Hypnosis by visual fixation. The Journal of Psychology, 47(1), 6780.Google Scholar
White, C. M., Pasupuleti, V., Roman, Y. M., Li, Y., & Hernandez, A. V. (2019). Oral turmeric/curcumin effects on inflammatory markers in chronic inflammatory diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pharmacological Research, 146, 104280.Google Scholar
de C Williams, A. C., Fisher, E., Hearn, L., & Eccleston, C. (2020). Psychological therapies for the management of chronic pain (excluding headache) in adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 8(8), CD007407.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

  • Pain
  • Edited by Stephen Hupp, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Cara L. Santa Maria, Fielding Graduate University, California
  • Book: Pseudoscience in Therapy
  • Online publication: 16 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009000611.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Pain
  • Edited by Stephen Hupp, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Cara L. Santa Maria, Fielding Graduate University, California
  • Book: Pseudoscience in Therapy
  • Online publication: 16 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009000611.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Pain
  • Edited by Stephen Hupp, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Cara L. Santa Maria, Fielding Graduate University, California
  • Book: Pseudoscience in Therapy
  • Online publication: 16 March 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009000611.009
Available formats
×