BLA4168

1. Human sciences are "fuzzy" sciences, but they are still sciences.
Some people think since Science is "fuzzy" sometimes its not a science, but it is.

2. Science requires data.
=[|Controversial Data Leads to Violation of Scientific-Integrity Policy] = Filed in [|Policy] on January 14, 2013 with [|no comments]  Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Photo credit: Soggydan via photopin cc Last week, seven U.S. fisheries scientists filed a formal complaint after a supervisor threatened to eliminate their research branch for their “controversial” predictions for salmon populations. “This falls into the basket of obstruction of science for policy or political ends,” said **Jeff Ruch**, executive director of **Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility** (PEER). The researchers’ model focused on threatened **coho salmon** (//Oncorhynchus kisutch//) in the **Klamath River Basin** in Oregon. Research at the Klamath River Basin has been divided between those who want to tear down the local hydroelectric dams, saying the dams are responsible for salmon die-offs, and those who believe removing the dams wont actually provide the expected benefits. The researchers from the Fisheries Resources Branch believe that supervisor Jason Phillips violated the scientific-integrity policy. In **the letter**, the scientists state that Phillips intended to shut down their branch after they produced data that contradicted the findings of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Phillips denys the accusations, saying: “It’s never been about the findings causing problems. Results are results.” To learn more:
 * Read the full article from Nature: **Fish biologists claim political interference over salmon studies**
 * Read the letter: **Complaint of Scientific and Scholarly Misconduct**
 * Find out about another issue in scientific integrity: **US integrity effort hits troubled water**

3. Science runs on careful criticism.
Even four years after her car accident, 60-year-old Fran Zierler lived with devastating shoulder and neck pain. "It felt like an ice pick was pounding in my arm 100 times a day," she recalled. "I had very little use of my left arm for anything. I couldn't carry [anything]." She had tried physical therapy, chiropractic medicine, and usual pain management, including multiple shots of steroids into her spine -- none of which provided relief. She was even scheduled to have spine surgery to improve her pain, but three days before her surgery, her insurance pulled coverage, and her operation was cancelled. Little did she know that this may have been a blessing in disguise. In January 2009 she was referred to Dr. Jun Mao, a licensed physician and acupuncturist at the University of Pennsylvania. "The only thing I had not tried was acupuncture," Zierler said. Now, a new review of research suggests that this ancient technique may truly hold benefits for those suffering from certain forms of chronic pain. In a review of 29 previous well-designed studies, which together looked at almost 18,000 patients, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that acupuncture does, indeed, work for treating four chronic pain conditions: back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache and shoulder pain.   ABCNEWS.com

 ] Health Benefits of Acupuncture  ] Acupuncture and Cancer <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;"> ] <span style="display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">A Recent Study Found Nuts and Olive Oil Are Good for You <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">Even "placebo" acupuncture, where the practitioner only pretends to place the needle or places the needle in a random site, is effective at relieving pain, though true acupuncture works better. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">The review was published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">In the analysis, the researchers determined that 50 percent of true acupuncture patients experienced pain relief -- in other words, pain levels that were cut in half. Only 42 percent of sham acupuncture patients and 30 percent of patients who had no acupuncture at all experienced similar pain relief. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">The researchers said it is better and more precise than previous reviews because of the high quality standard that was required by the study authors. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">"In general, we were interested in acupuncture because clearly it's very controversial," said Dr. Andrew Vickers, the primary author of the study. "It comes from and involves ideas that aren't found in conventional books of anatomy and physiology." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">Complementary and alternative medicine, including acupuncture, has long been a controversial topic in medicine. About 3 million Americans undergo acupuncture, mostly for chronic pain. Even so, given the lack of good evidence, many patients were not referred for acupuncture. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">"There is now a solid evidence base for referring patients for acupuncture," Vickers added. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">And Mao, who treated Zierler with the technique, said that aside from therapeutic gains, the technique can be empowering for some as well. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">"I think [acupuncture] can help patients regain some sense of control in managing their own illness, help them relax and shift focus away from their pain," Mao said. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">Critics maintain, however, that the clinical relevance of this study is unclear and that most of acupuncture may very well be just a "placebo" effect. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: georgia,'times new roman',serif; font-size: 15px;">They also note that acupuncture can be very painful and can have serious risks, such as infection or puncturing a lung -- though these occur rarely.