Your science columnist Andy Ho displays typical Western scientific arrogance by asserting that acupuncture probably does not work and that qi or "vital energy" - which forms the basis of acupuncture - does not exist, because they cannot be scientifically proven.

Furthermore, he insults Chinese - and other Eastern, as well as sectors of Western - culture by describing the concept of harmonising energy as "gobbledegook".

Western scientists typically liken themselves to gods who know all and understand all. (Or, journalists make them out to be that way.) Whatever they do not know or understand is therefore declared to be false or non-existent.

Not so. If something is not scientifically proven, it could also mean that:

• there is not enough funding for scientific research into the subject;
• not enough scientists are interested in studying the subject;
• scientists do not know how to study the subject, for example, they have not developed the appropriate instruments for detecting and measuring the thing that they wish to study;
• scientists have not yet studied the subject fully, only certain limited aspects of it;
• scientists studied it based on wrong assumptions;
• some scientists have already proven it, but they are either from non-mainstream research institutions or from non-English speaking countries such as Russia, Japan and China.

History is full of instances where the cock-sure declarations of scientists have subsequently been proven wrong.

Nutrition

In the field of nutrition, for example, scientists had declared for over 200 years that fibre was useless because they did not know how to detect and measure the benefits of eating a high fibre diet. They could only see the fact that fibre contained zero nutrients. And they assumed, wrongly, that the content of nutrients was the only thing that mattered.

As recently as the mid-1980s, prominent scientists were still asserting that the benefits of fibre were "not scientifically proven." They ridiculed and insulted the people who advocated a high-fibre diet, calling them cranks, nuts and other names!

In the past 20 years, however, a lot more scientists became interested in researching fibre. Their research methodologies also became a lot more sophisticated. So now, fibre is scientifically proven to be beneficial to health.

Another example: How many millions of tonsils have been removed because scientists previously could not understand their function and value?

Truth

It's time we recognise that scientists do not have a monopoly on truth and understanding, it's time we stop letting them dictate to us what to believe and what not to believe.

If you had an old ankle injury that refused to respond to drugs, physiotherapy or other medical treatment, and acupuncture helped you, do not let scientists tell you that acupuncture does not work.

Know your own truths.

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