Relief under the needle
Acupuncture helps relieve arthritic knee pain in more than one out of two sufferers - but so does a placebo, according to a study of about 1,000 patients by the University of Heidelberg in Germany. Both the acupuncture and sham treatment (needles weren't inserted far and were not near traditional Chinese sites) got significantly better results than conservative western therapy, Reuters reports. Despite the placebo's success, the researchers say acupuncture appears to be a useful adjunct in treating arthritis.