Thats not true Katherine. Placebos can work for babies and even animals. It's a very interesting effect.
It not only has to do with the patient, but also with the person administrating the treatment, the cultural upbringing and many other factors.
The Placebo Effect Works Even When You Know You Are Taking A Placebo | IFLScience
Placebos Work Even if You Know They’re Fake: But How? | TIME.com
Putting the placebo effect to work - Harvard Health
To be honest I don't care either way, never had it and no intention to do so. As far as I can remember I only know one person who has had it, an educated, intelligent, very non-alternative boss who was struck with a recurrence of severe back pain while we were in China. Placebo or not it worked for him (until we were on the long haul back to the UK). I would not knock it though and don't put it in the same category as homeopathy.
In my experience acupuncture has worked for muscular/joint problems but not for organ issues.
I have a degenerative problem with my neck and shoulder which Western med said you'll be on painkillers for the rest of your life. Went to see an acupuncturist and he fixed it for me. When it gets bad I go for a mixture of needling, cupping and massage. Works for me. Sure as hell better than being whacked out on pain killers.
On the mainland TCM is often prescribed alongside Western medication for the same problem so you often don't know what's working and how. You often come out of a hospital with a little white box of modern medicine and three carrier bags of TCM.
Would I only go to a TCM herbalist for a serious health issue? No absolutely not. However, you can't knock thousands of years of plant medicine knowledge so would I use it in tandem with modern medicine, absolutely yes.
Seems to me that weirdly the TCM, massage and needling trade is less regulated in HK than on the mainland. Took me ages to find a place that even smelt clean.
In the OP's case sound like the guy was a shyster and was ripping you off, that's maybe less to do with TCM but the guy was an ass hat who saw an opportunity to scam you. There are good practitioners and bad ones.
Can we agree that acupuncture works for some conditions for some people and this is supported by some doctors?
My personal experience of acupuncture has been positive.
Western medicine said I would be on codeine, muscle relaxants, amitriptyline (an anti-depressant with awful side effects which also happens to work as a nerve relaxant) and gabapentin with painkiller injections directly into my spine for the rest of my life if I was lucky. Worst case scenario an operation on my spine which could leave me paralysed.
Instead I had a course of acupuncture, cupping and massage weekly for three months and now I go back for a tune up only when the pain is bad around once every six months.
Know which one makes sense in my case so guess am one of the some people.
Corporate funded "scientific research" are to be taken with a grain of salt. I'm sure there are as many articles that proves that TCM works as there are that don't.