Extract:
A New Use for Acupuncture
Over the years, acupuncture has become a more widely accepted type of alternative medicine. It is used for a wide variety of ailments, and if a recent study from Germany is valid, relieving menstrual pain can be added to the continuously growing list.
Traditionally nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the typical treatment for menstrual discomfort. However, as many consumers and physicians are aware, NSAIDs have a number of side effects, including nausea, vomiting, rash, dizziness, headache, and drowsiness. Acupuncture rarely has any kind of side effects other than the occasional stinging sensation when the needle is inserted or a deep ache around it after it is in place.
Acupuncture has proven helpful with relieving a number of kinds of pain, so researchers at Charité University Medical Center in Berlin wanted to find out how effective it might be in combating cramps and other menstrual discomforts. More than 200 women were enrolled in the study, and after three months and approximately 10 sessions, the women who were treated with acupuncture reported significantly less pain than those in the control group who received no treatment at all. They also reported a 33 percent improvement in their symptoms. Because of these findings, the researchers came to the conclusion that “acupuncture should be considered as a viable option in the management of these patients.”
What is the meaning of the word viable as used in the last paragraph?
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A
Reasonable
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B
Unresolved
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C
Contemporary
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D
Consistent
In the medical treatment context, viable means reasonable, practically feasible and worthy of consideration among treatment options.
A) Reasonable
Reasonable precisely captures viable's meaning in clinical contexts: treatment options that are practical, effective enough to warrant consideration, and sufficiently safe. The researchers' recommendation to "consider" acupuncture as "viable" positions it as a reasonable alternative to NSAIDs given comparable efficacy with fewer side effects.
B) Unresolved
Unresolved means undecided or incomplete, opposite to viable's connotation of practical feasibility. Viable options are sufficiently developed for implementation consideration.
C) Contemporary
Contemporary means current or modern, unrelated to practical feasibility. While acupuncture is ancient, its viability concerns effectiveness/safety, not recency.
D) Consistent
Consistent means uniform or stable, unrelated to treatment option feasibility. Viable concerns practical worthiness for consideration, not behavioral or outcome consistency.
Conclusion
Contextual analysis reveals viable operates as a feasibility descriptor within treatment recommendations. Only "reasonable" captures this connotation of practical worthiness for clinical consideration based on demonstrated efficacy and safety.