Which Alternative Remedies Really Work?

When Dr. Andrew Weil, the alternative medicine guru, hurt his knee, he skipped pain relievers and went straight to acupuncture, reports CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen in her online column Empowered Patient. “It worked,'’ said Dr. Weil. “My knee felt much better.'’

Acupuncture is one of five alternative therapies highlighted by Ms. Cohen in a recent column on unconventional remedies backed by science. The evidence for acupuncture to relieve knee pain goes beyond Dr. Weil’s personal endorsement. A study of nearly 600 knee pain sufferers, funded by the National Institutes of Health, showed that acupuncture improved both knee function and pain by 40 percent, compared to sham treatment resembling acupuncture and traditional care with pain drugs.