1085: Traditional Chinese Medicine | Skeptical Sunday

The Jordan Harbinger Show

From Mao to Main Street: Michael Regilio unravels the surprising story behind Traditional Chinese Medicine's global rise on this week's Skeptical Sunday!

Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and a guest break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions. This time around, we’re joined by skeptic, comedian, and podcaster Michael Regilio!

On This Week's Skeptical Sunday:

• The modern global presence of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) is largely a result of political necessity rather than proven effectiveness. Surprisingly, it had been largely abandoned in China by the 1800s until Chairman Mao revived it in the 1960s as a solution to healthcare shortages — despite not personally believing in it himself.
• The scientific foundation of TCM's core concepts — chi, yin/yang balance, and meridians — remains unproven. Studies attempting to validate these practices face significant challenges, including the impossibility of true double-blind trials and concerns about data reliability, particularly in Chinese research where regulators found over 80% of clinical trial data to be fabricated.
• Acupuncture's effectiveness appears largely tied to the placebo effect, though this shouldn't be dismissed. Studies show "sham" acupuncture (needles placed randomly) produces similar results to "real" acupuncture, suggesting the specific placement of needles according to meridian theory may be less important than the overall experience and belief in the treatment.
• Cupping, while popularized by athletes like Michael Phelps, essentially creates controlled tissue damage through suction. Though it may temporarily increase blood flow, it can cause permanent skin damage if done repeatedly and may aggravate existing skin conditions.
• Chinese herbal medicine represents a bright spot in the TCM landscape, built on 500 million years of plant evolution and chemical development. Some traditional remedies have led to breakthrough modern treatments, like Artemisinin for malaria, showing how ancient wisdom can guide modern medical discoveries when subjected to rigorous scientific testing. This suggests that while we should approach traditional practices with skepticism, we shouldn't dismiss them entirely — instead, we can use modern scientific methods to identify and develop valuable treatments from traditional knowledge.
• Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at [e-mail] and let him know!
• Connect with Michael Regilio at Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube,...