I’m just sitting here shaking my head at the extreme level of cognitive dissonance. Self-reported patient experience is data that is used in all kinds of statistically relevant studies every day of the week. It’s one of the most common ways of gathering quantitative data. Learn something about statistics and scientific methodology before you start spouting off.

The study did not conclude that there was no relevant benefit — it concluded exactly the opposite. I’ll quote it to you again, since you seem to have missed it the first time.

“For example, in the postoperative setting, acupuncture has been found effective in reducing pain and narcotic use [31, 32]. In addition, its use has demonstrated a significant reduction in the incidence of postoperative opioid-related adverse effects, including nausea, pruritus, dizziness, sedation, and urinary retention [33].

And despite the fact that self-reporting is statistically relevant, patients can’t self-report urinary retention and they are either using fewer narcotics or they aren’t. That’s something that can be objectively measured.

That you imagine that increased use in mainstream medical environments is not relevant is just absurd. You are truly grasping at straws here — I mean really!