Surprise, charlatans who promise that they'll make everything ok by poking you with needles/adjusting your spine get better reviews than the honest doctor who says "Quit smoking or you'll get emphysema".
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/acupuncture-provide... http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=13575...
THAT SAID anybody who claims they can adjust your chi or cure cancer is a charlatan and deserves prison time.
That always led me to believe it must be having some sort of a provable positive effect on the patients.
By contrast, an acupuncturist that charges a fraction and pretends to cure them is more effective.
"Well, there's probably nothing wrong, but there are some test we can run to be sure."
The patient agrees to the tests because it gives them peace of mind and they mostly don't pay for them, their insurance does.
The doctor orders the test because if they don't and there is some sort of rare problem that was actually present, they can be sued for malpractice. GPs in the US generally aren't making any money from these tests, but they do have a strong incentive to avoid a malpractice lawsuit as those are costly and time consuming.
But yes, this is part of why US healthcare is so expensive.
There is basis for the claim that sticking needles in people can help with some ailments. There is no basis for the claim that meridians are a thing and in any way relevant to those effects.
Most times I've never had any relief after going to a doctors office. Muscle and back problems are like moving teeth with braces, you need to keep working on it or the muscles (or teeth) will go back to the original position.