Does Cupping Work? Doc vs The Rock - Pseudoscience Royal Rumble!

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson went a'cuppin. Does this alternative medicine technique actually work? But more importantly, let's go through some ways to think about unproven therapies so that you can try, or avoid things, with an informed decision.

The five lessons:

1. Who should prove what
2. Placebo ain't a dirty word, but...
3. Old doesn't mean good
4. Celebs need to watch what they're promoting
5. Special bonus surprise

- Rohin 'The Doc' Francis, WrestleMedica 2021

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More Medlife Crisis:

Wikipedia is a good place to start to get a general overview

A more in-depth article, explaining cupping’s roots in bloodletting

Hijama, the traditional Islamic medicine practice sometimes called ‘wet cupping’ because it causes bleeding

An open-minded article from Harvard Health Blog

Scientific meta-analyses (ie combining the results of hundreds of studies into one mega-study)

[MedlifeCrisis]

I meant to put a picture of some cupping cups at the end for the "goodbye suckers" gag but I'm hoping the joke connoisseurs appreciated it anyway

[SmashedHatProject]

I went to see my doctor for my phobia of sharp objects, he prescribed me a round of placebos saying "They're pointless". I immediately felt better.

[themelleryeller]

The beard seems to almost be taking over the rest of his face at this point

[shadowxxe]

"This isn't a video" *BEEP BEEP* Guess he was right

[rationalityrules]

Dr. Francis laying down the Skeptic's Elbow like an absolute beast!

Jokes aside, thank you for eloquently calling this issue out - it's so damn important, and it means so much more when it comes from the mouth of doctors rather than YouTube Skeptics™ <3

[vickythecat]

As a lifelong chronically ill person, I LOVE the placebo effect. I love how British people will use 'let's have a cuppa' on every occasion (angry? stressed out? sad? happy?tired? cuppa is the answer). And it works for me too! Forget expensive therapies, just have a cuppa! (or cup of tea for the newbies - preferably with plant based milks and some sugar/sweetner)

[erictaylor]

"It worked for me." When my leg broke and refused to heal, the very tough decision was finally made to amputate. I did not make this decision for myself because I was not yet 3 years old, but about 5 days after my 3rd birthday my leg was cut off.
I am 100% sure this was the best option for me. Using the argument, "It worked for me." everyone who breaks a limb should have that limb amputated. This is, of course, ridiculous. Mine was a very special case. Most people, when they break a bone, that bone heals in a few weeks. For complex reasons, my leg did not heal and it had to come off. But for most, "It worked for me." simply would not work for them.

[Dryawareness]

Alt title: A rock responds to a doctor who has a very hot right ear

[cathalodiubhain]

For years I suffered with my stomach, I went to alternative medicine practitioners, one better than the next. Up and down the length of Ireland. Spending a fortune. Until one day I ended up in the Emergency Department University Hospital Waterford. I ended up having an emergency operation ( followed by 2 more) spent 3 months in hospital. I had an orchiectomy, also ended up having an ostomy bag and perianal abscess operation. I was also diagnose with Crohn's disease. Alternative medicine was nearly the death of me.

[seaofseeof]

The "it worked for me" thing isn't necessarily just about a placebo. Sometimes, pains or problems just sort themselves out. And the cupping/coffee enema didn't have anything to do with it. Where it's a matter of mistaking correlation for causality. Maybe the pain or problem went away after they did something, but they can't prove that that's the reason it went away.

[meredithnavin]

"Just because it is ancient, it doesn't mean it's good. Just look at Murdoch."

🤣🤣🤣

[curiousfirely]

THANK YOU!! This is a serious issue with Type 1 Diabetes, with 'alternative' treatment practitioners telling people they don't need their insulin. I absolutely hate reading about preventable deaths, from people ignoring well-supported treatment paths.

[beth-biyv]

I find alternative medicine enthusiasts frustrating. If I have one more homeopathic practitioner tell me "that my type 1 diabetes is because I need more bases in my diet" I'm going to lose it. It's incredibly condescending to have someone who has very little understanding in the condition act like they're expert's and that you are only ill because you believe doctors.

[Doc_R]

Excellent presentation. I am an Internist practicing in NJ USA. I have similar discussions with my patients about alternative treatments almost daily. Like you I surprise them by not disregarding their belief in an unproven treatment. Rather, I point out most proponents rely on anecdotal evidence. And that does not qualify a treatment as scientifically sound. I really liked your explanation and I am going to apply that in my discussions.

[pmberkeley]

My physical therapist did cupping on me for an entrapped nerve and it definitely worked, it wasn't a placebo effect. What it did was reduce the difficulty he had of massaging out the muscles that had trapped the nerve. The cupping wasn't magical. It just replaced the function of massage.

[donaldobrien]

if cupping healed, teenagers with hickeys would not have acne

[ubrfrnzy]

This man has the thickest beard on planet earth. He should be a beard model.

[janetmichel]

To be fair blinding a study on cupping would prove difficult.

[getyourownshoe]

THANK YOU for the Null Hypothesis explanation!! Such a fundamental of science that often gets so overlooked. ❤️

[Lineriderforever]

Thanks for calling him out, more scientists need to do this. Breaking down these pseudosciences are so important. It's just sad that people aren't taught in school to see that "show me proof it doesn't work" is a logical fallacy.