alternative treatments for MSA

[Guest guest]

Hi My name is Twila and my husband was diagnosed last November with

olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

We are struggling to come to grips with this. He was a very hard

working farmer up until last fall. He is finding it very difficult

to deal with this. He has slipped very quickly and now is he

having trouble walking and talking.

We have been trying everything to help. He has been having

acupunture since last fall. We are now trying Jin Shin Jyutsu which

is a from of reflexiology and we are also trying aroma therapy.

Has anyone every tried these treatments and how successful were they.

Hope someone can help.

Twila

[Guest guest]

My dad has tried acupuncture. It seemed to have a temporary positive effect

on bladder control and helped alleviate pain in his knees and ankles. I

think he generally found it relaxing. It did not do anything to reverse the

course of MSA nor did it help any of his other MSA symptoms like speech and

drooling.

Best wishes,

Cindy

[Guest guest]

I tried for years to deal with all this within

" alternative medicine " . Nothing worked. It was

expensive and frequently unpleasant. Some of the proposed methods

were dangerous, thank God I did the research. If you spend your

money, it should make you feel happy and cared for. So I garden and

have pets and a decent General Practitioner. There are conditions

this is useful for but this is not one of them. What possibly is so

appealing about them is the time and attention of another human

being. I live alone and the touch of a hand on mine is something

that would surely help, so if massage were offered under my medical

coverage, I don;t doubt there would be a benefit.

At Wednesday 5/22/02 06:51 PM, you wrote:

Hi My name is Twila and my husband

was diagnosed last November with

olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

We are struggling to come to grips with this. He was a very

hard

working farmer up until last fall. He is finding it very

difficult

to deal with this. He has slipped very quickly and now is he

having trouble walking and talking.

We have been trying everything to help. He has been having

acupunture since last fall. We are now trying Jin Shin Jyutsu

which

is a from of reflexiology and we are also trying aroma therapy.

Has anyone every tried these treatments and how successful were

they.

Hope someone can help.

Twila

If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

shydrager-unsubscribe

[Guest guest]

I tried for years to deal with all this within

" alternative medicine " . Nothing worked. It was

expensive and frequently unpleasant. Some of the proposed methods

were dangerous, thank God I did the research. If you spend your

money, it should make you feel happy and cared for. So I garden and

have pets and a decent General Practitioner. There are conditions

this is useful for but this is not one of them. What possibly is so

appealing about them is the time and attention of another human

being. I live alone and the touch of a hand on mine is something

that would surely help, so if massage were offered under my medical

coverage, I don;t doubt there would be a benefit.

At Wednesday 5/22/02 06:51 PM, you wrote:

Hi My name is Twila and my husband

was diagnosed last November with

olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

We are struggling to come to grips with this. He was a very

hard

working farmer up until last fall. He is finding it very

difficult

to deal with this. He has slipped very quickly and now is he

having trouble walking and talking.

We have been trying everything to help. He has been having

acupunture since last fall. We are now trying Jin Shin Jyutsu

which

is a from of reflexiology and we are also trying aroma therapy.

Has anyone every tried these treatments and how successful were

they.

Hope someone can help.

Twila

If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

shydrager-unsubscribe

[Guest guest]

Hi Twila,

My response to your inquiry will not be directly useful for you, but

you or others on the list might still find it interesting.

It seems that the burden of researching MSA, or any other disease for

that matter, falls on the shoulders of the patient much more than it

should. It is unfortunate therefore, that in addition with having to

contend with a body of research that is incomplete, complicated, and

somtimes obscure, all patients must also contend with a multi-billion

dollar a year industry of fraud, deception, and confusion. I am

indeed speaking of the industry that generally masquerades as

" alternative treatment. " (not to be confused with the legitimate

side of the " alternative " treatment industry.)

Alternative treatment is one thing. Flim flam is another. I have no

doubt that in actual fact , in all physical reality, aromas do have a

positive and/or negative effect on the body, to the extent perhaps

even that such effect could be medicinal in nature. I also have no

doubt that miracles can happen, in so much as the brain can heal it's

self in some situations of certain maladies; in so much as the brain

can impair it's self with other self-inflicted maladies. For example

people can go blind through psycological mechanisms without any

physical injury. A study on airline attendants recently found that

stress actually causes measurable shrinkage of certain parts of the

brain. So if psycological condition can have detrimental effect, it

stands to reason doesn't it that it can have positive effect? The

placebo effect should not be under-estimated... and the power of the

brain should not be underestimated.

_Anything_ potentially has value, from a random experimental

procedure devised by a researcher or by a 5 year old kid, to the

" traditional " medicinal procedures that have been practiced for

thousands of years. Yes, one problem with " modern " medicine is that

it has been rather encumbered with cultural attitudes and

bureaucratic procedures, such that it has in many instances ignored

the potential value of " traditional " medicines.

On the other hand, no matter how perfect and complete the " modern "

approach to medicine ever becomes, there will _always_ be the fakers,

the frauds, the pedlers of snake oil. It seems indeed that humanity

is prone to folly. The pseudoscientists, the charlitans, have spent

years upon years practicing their art, learning to weild every

imaginable " weapon of innuendo and falsehood they can think of. " We

could cure every disease tomorrow, we could write the last paragraph

of the last chapter of knowledge about medicine, but the

pseudophysicians would not be out of work - far from it. They would

work even harder to get what they want from you - some of them want

money - and some of them just want you to believe, as they often do,

that their belief system is the correct one, that their

" alternatives " are valid.

I have seen this ugly side of " alternative " medicine up close and

personal - I have seen people's ability to reason methodically and

rationally stripped away and chipped at bit by bit. I have seen

little bottles of aroma that will cure anything, I have seen

accupuncture that will rid the body of any cancer and any other

malady, etc etc, It _is_ a multi-billion dollar a year industry.

There are companies that produce the little pills, and the bottles of

fluids, and the " medical " charts and the books and the medical tools.

It's an entire economic structure that is in place, and it's one that

fights for political and social influence.

I have been told " what does it matter?... so what if maybe the

procedure or medicine does not work?.. It's like they are buying a

pretty painting. Even if it does not work, it makes the patient feel

better to believe that it does. " To this I submit that it is

dangerous to make someone believe a lie. It robs them of the chance

to spend their time and energy in potentially more useful ways.

So of all the alternatives that modern medicine offers you, and all

the alternatives that alternative medicine offers you, and all the

alternatives that bunk (fradulent and deceptive) medicine offers you,

how do you determine which is most effective? You have limited

money, and limited time, so how do you make the most of what you have?

I personally believe that rational and scientific reasoning is the

best way to sift through all the available alternatives and thusly

avail yourself of the most accurate and useful information. I think

that the human brain is inherently irrational and superstitious, and

so I think that deliberate study is necessary to develop the

reasoning facilties necessary to see and understand that which is

reasonable, and more importantly, that which is not.

Santa Claus does exist, in the minds of many grown ups, though he

does not always take the familiar shape of the guy with the big round

belly that shakes when he laughs like a tub full of jelly. I must

admit that I perhaps was on some level disappointed when I read the

book " Flim-Flam -- Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and other Delusions. " I

must admit that I would like to believe that fairies exist. I must

admit one of my favorite books of all time is " The Lion, the Witch

and the Wardrobe " by C.S. .

Anyway, having said that, I suggest that if you are dealing with

alternative medicine, given the high quantity of out and out fraud

that unfortunately exists in this otherwise honorable industry, I

suggest studying up on it, and one of the most useful books I have

ever found on this subject is " Flim-Flam " by Randi, with

introduction by Isaac Asimov. ISBN 0-87975-198-3 published by

Prometheus Books.

I'll quote the cover:

" Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape

artist. But for the past 35 years of his professional life, he has

also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and

supernatural claims that have impressed the thinking of the public

for a generation: ESP, psychokinesis, psychic detectives,

levitation, psychic surgery, UFOs, dowsing, astrology, and many

others. Those of us unable to discriminate between genuine

scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that has

resulted in fantastic theories and fancies have long needed

Randi and Flim-Flam!

In Flim-Flam! Randi explores and exposes what he believes to be the

outrageous deception that has been promoted widely in the media.

Unafraid to call researchers to account for their failures and

impostures, Randi tells us that we have been badly served by

scientists who have failed to follow the procedures required by their

training and traditions. Here he shows us how what he views as

sloppy research has been followed by rationalizations of evident

failures, and we see these errors and misrepresentations clearly

pointed out. Mr. Randi provides us with a compelling and convincing

document that will certainly startle and enlighten all who read it. "

I've tossed the Introduction on my web page too, if anyone wants to read it:

http://www.xenopink.com/deadly-misinformation.html

-Elliot

>Hi My name is Twila and my husband was diagnosed last November with

>olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

>

>We are struggling to come to grips with this. He was a very hard

>working farmer up until last fall. He is finding it very difficult

>to deal with this. He has slipped very quickly and now is he

>having trouble walking and talking.

>

>We have been trying everything to help. He has been having

>acupunture since last fall. We are now trying Jin Shin Jyutsu which

>is a from of reflexiology and we are also trying aroma therapy.

>

>Has anyone every tried these treatments and how successful were they.

>

>Hope someone can help.

>

>Twila

>

>

>

>If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

>unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

>shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Twila,

My response to your inquiry will not be directly useful for you, but

you or others on the list might still find it interesting.

It seems that the burden of researching MSA, or any other disease for

that matter, falls on the shoulders of the patient much more than it

should. It is unfortunate therefore, that in addition with having to

contend with a body of research that is incomplete, complicated, and

somtimes obscure, all patients must also contend with a multi-billion

dollar a year industry of fraud, deception, and confusion. I am

indeed speaking of the industry that generally masquerades as

" alternative treatment. " (not to be confused with the legitimate

side of the " alternative " treatment industry.)

Alternative treatment is one thing. Flim flam is another. I have no

doubt that in actual fact , in all physical reality, aromas do have a

positive and/or negative effect on the body, to the extent perhaps

even that such effect could be medicinal in nature. I also have no

doubt that miracles can happen, in so much as the brain can heal it's

self in some situations of certain maladies; in so much as the brain

can impair it's self with other self-inflicted maladies. For example

people can go blind through psycological mechanisms without any

physical injury. A study on airline attendants recently found that

stress actually causes measurable shrinkage of certain parts of the

brain. So if psycological condition can have detrimental effect, it

stands to reason doesn't it that it can have positive effect? The

placebo effect should not be under-estimated... and the power of the

brain should not be underestimated.

_Anything_ potentially has value, from a random experimental

procedure devised by a researcher or by a 5 year old kid, to the

" traditional " medicinal procedures that have been practiced for

thousands of years. Yes, one problem with " modern " medicine is that

it has been rather encumbered with cultural attitudes and

bureaucratic procedures, such that it has in many instances ignored

the potential value of " traditional " medicines.

On the other hand, no matter how perfect and complete the " modern "

approach to medicine ever becomes, there will _always_ be the fakers,

the frauds, the pedlers of snake oil. It seems indeed that humanity

is prone to folly. The pseudoscientists, the charlitans, have spent

years upon years practicing their art, learning to weild every

imaginable " weapon of innuendo and falsehood they can think of. " We

could cure every disease tomorrow, we could write the last paragraph

of the last chapter of knowledge about medicine, but the

pseudophysicians would not be out of work - far from it. They would

work even harder to get what they want from you - some of them want

money - and some of them just want you to believe, as they often do,

that their belief system is the correct one, that their

" alternatives " are valid.

I have seen this ugly side of " alternative " medicine up close and

personal - I have seen people's ability to reason methodically and

rationally stripped away and chipped at bit by bit. I have seen

little bottles of aroma that will cure anything, I have seen

accupuncture that will rid the body of any cancer and any other

malady, etc etc, It _is_ a multi-billion dollar a year industry.

There are companies that produce the little pills, and the bottles of

fluids, and the " medical " charts and the books and the medical tools.

It's an entire economic structure that is in place, and it's one that

fights for political and social influence.

I have been told " what does it matter?... so what if maybe the

procedure or medicine does not work?.. It's like they are buying a

pretty painting. Even if it does not work, it makes the patient feel

better to believe that it does. " To this I submit that it is

dangerous to make someone believe a lie. It robs them of the chance

to spend their time and energy in potentially more useful ways.

So of all the alternatives that modern medicine offers you, and all

the alternatives that alternative medicine offers you, and all the

alternatives that bunk (fradulent and deceptive) medicine offers you,

how do you determine which is most effective? You have limited

money, and limited time, so how do you make the most of what you have?

I personally believe that rational and scientific reasoning is the

best way to sift through all the available alternatives and thusly

avail yourself of the most accurate and useful information. I think

that the human brain is inherently irrational and superstitious, and

so I think that deliberate study is necessary to develop the

reasoning facilties necessary to see and understand that which is

reasonable, and more importantly, that which is not.

Santa Claus does exist, in the minds of many grown ups, though he

does not always take the familiar shape of the guy with the big round

belly that shakes when he laughs like a tub full of jelly. I must

admit that I perhaps was on some level disappointed when I read the

book " Flim-Flam -- Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and other Delusions. " I

must admit that I would like to believe that fairies exist. I must

admit one of my favorite books of all time is " The Lion, the Witch

and the Wardrobe " by C.S. .

Anyway, having said that, I suggest that if you are dealing with

alternative medicine, given the high quantity of out and out fraud

that unfortunately exists in this otherwise honorable industry, I

suggest studying up on it, and one of the most useful books I have

ever found on this subject is " Flim-Flam " by Randi, with

introduction by Isaac Asimov. ISBN 0-87975-198-3 published by

Prometheus Books.

I'll quote the cover:

" Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape

artist. But for the past 35 years of his professional life, he has

also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and

supernatural claims that have impressed the thinking of the public

for a generation: ESP, psychokinesis, psychic detectives,

levitation, psychic surgery, UFOs, dowsing, astrology, and many

others. Those of us unable to discriminate between genuine

scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that has

resulted in fantastic theories and fancies have long needed

Randi and Flim-Flam!

In Flim-Flam! Randi explores and exposes what he believes to be the

outrageous deception that has been promoted widely in the media.

Unafraid to call researchers to account for their failures and

impostures, Randi tells us that we have been badly served by

scientists who have failed to follow the procedures required by their

training and traditions. Here he shows us how what he views as

sloppy research has been followed by rationalizations of evident

failures, and we see these errors and misrepresentations clearly

pointed out. Mr. Randi provides us with a compelling and convincing

document that will certainly startle and enlighten all who read it. "

I've tossed the Introduction on my web page too, if anyone wants to read it:

http://www.xenopink.com/deadly-misinformation.html

-Elliot

>Hi My name is Twila and my husband was diagnosed last November with

>olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

>

>We are struggling to come to grips with this. He was a very hard

>working farmer up until last fall. He is finding it very difficult

>to deal with this. He has slipped very quickly and now is he

>having trouble walking and talking.

>

>We have been trying everything to help. He has been having

>acupunture since last fall. We are now trying Jin Shin Jyutsu which

>is a from of reflexiology and we are also trying aroma therapy.

>

>Has anyone every tried these treatments and how successful were they.

>

>Hope someone can help.

>

>Twila

>

>

>

>If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

>unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

>

>shydrager-unsubscribe

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Twila,

My husband also tried acupuncture as well as chinese medicine. The

Chinese medicine tasted so awful he quickly gave that up. I must

admit it was really, really bad. We did not see any improvement with

acupuncture and after 8 months decided that he was getting worse and

the wallet was getting much lighter. I hope you see better results

than we did. I would love to hear how the Jin Shin Jyutsu and aroma

therapy work. Good luck and God Bless.

Jan

> Hi My name is Twila and my husband was diagnosed last November with

> olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

>

> We are struggling to come to grips with this. He was a very hard

> working farmer up until last fall. He is finding it very difficult

> to deal with this. He has slipped very quickly and now is he

> having trouble walking and talking.

>

> We have been trying everything to help. He has been having

> acupunture since last fall. We are now trying Jin Shin Jyutsu which

> is a from of reflexiology and we are also trying aroma therapy.

>

> Has anyone every tried these treatments and how successful were

they.

>

> Hope someone can help.

>

> Twila

[Guest guest]

Elliot,

I agree with you in the aspects that when we,a loved one, a dear

friend are handed a diagnoses of a terminal disease we want to hope

that there is something out there that will cure us that the doctors

might not know anything about. We are usually easy prey. It is good

that we have support groups, books, and other things out there that

will prevent us from tossing our money into the wind. I know that you

said you do not have MSA. Does someone you love or know have MSA?

God bless,

Belinda

>

> Hi Twila,

>

> My response to your inquiry will not be directly useful for you,

but

> you or others on the list might still find it interesting.

>

> It seems that the burden of researching MSA, or any other disease

for

> that matter, falls on the shoulders of the patient much more than

it

> should. It is unfortunate therefore, that in addition with having

to

> contend with a body of research that is incomplete, complicated,

and

> somtimes obscure, all patients must also contend with a multi-

billion

> dollar a year industry of fraud, deception, and confusion. I am

> indeed speaking of the industry that generally masquerades as

> " alternative treatment. " (not to be confused with the legitimate

> side of the " alternative " treatment industry.)

>

> Alternative treatment is one thing. Flim flam is another. I have

no

> doubt that in actual fact , in all physical reality, aromas do have

a

> positive and/or negative effect on the body, to the extent perhaps

> even that such effect could be medicinal in nature. I also have no

> doubt that miracles can happen, in so much as the brain can heal

it's

> self in some situations of certain maladies; in so much as the

brain

> can impair it's self with other self-inflicted maladies. For

example

> people can go blind through psycological mechanisms without any

> physical injury. A study on airline attendants recently found that

> stress actually causes measurable shrinkage of certain parts of the

> brain. So if psycological condition can have detrimental effect,

it

> stands to reason doesn't it that it can have positive effect? The

> placebo effect should not be under-estimated... and the power of

the

> brain should not be underestimated.

>

> _Anything_ potentially has value, from a random experimental

> procedure devised by a researcher or by a 5 year old kid, to the

> " traditional " medicinal procedures that have been practiced for

> thousands of years. Yes, one problem with " modern " medicine is

that

> it has been rather encumbered with cultural attitudes and

> bureaucratic procedures, such that it has in many instances ignored

> the potential value of " traditional " medicines.

>

> On the other hand, no matter how perfect and complete the " modern "

> approach to medicine ever becomes, there will _always_ be the

fakers,

> the frauds, the pedlers of snake oil. It seems indeed that humanity

> is prone to folly. The pseudoscientists, the charlitans, have

spent

> years upon years practicing their art, learning to weild every

> imaginable " weapon of innuendo and falsehood they can think of. "

We

> could cure every disease tomorrow, we could write the last

paragraph

> of the last chapter of knowledge about medicine, but the

> pseudophysicians would not be out of work - far from it. They

would

> work even harder to get what they want from you - some of them want

> money - and some of them just want you to believe, as they often

do,

> that their belief system is the correct one, that their

> " alternatives " are valid.

>

> I have seen this ugly side of " alternative " medicine up close and

> personal - I have seen people's ability to reason methodically and

> rationally stripped away and chipped at bit by bit. I have seen

> little bottles of aroma that will cure anything, I have seen

> accupuncture that will rid the body of any cancer and any other

> malady, etc etc, It _is_ a multi-billion dollar a year industry.

> There are companies that produce the little pills, and the bottles

of

> fluids, and the " medical " charts and the books and the medical

tools.

> It's an entire economic structure that is in place, and it's one

that

> fights for political and social influence.

>

> I have been told " what does it matter?... so what if maybe the

> procedure or medicine does not work?.. It's like they are buying a

> pretty painting. Even if it does not work, it makes the patient

feel

> better to believe that it does. " To this I submit that it is

> dangerous to make someone believe a lie. It robs them of the

chance

> to spend their time and energy in potentially more useful ways.

>

> So of all the alternatives that modern medicine offers you, and all

> the alternatives that alternative medicine offers you, and all the

> alternatives that bunk (fradulent and deceptive) medicine offers

you,

> how do you determine which is most effective? You have limited

> money, and limited time, so how do you make the most of what you

have?

>

> I personally believe that rational and scientific reasoning is the

> best way to sift through all the available alternatives and thusly

> avail yourself of the most accurate and useful information. I

think

> that the human brain is inherently irrational and superstitious,

and

> so I think that deliberate study is necessary to develop the

> reasoning facilties necessary to see and understand that which is

> reasonable, and more importantly, that which is not.

>

> Santa Claus does exist, in the minds of many grown ups, though he

> does not always take the familiar shape of the guy with the big

round

> belly that shakes when he laughs like a tub full of jelly. I must

> admit that I perhaps was on some level disappointed when I read the

> book " Flim-Flam -- Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and other Delusions. " I

> must admit that I would like to believe that fairies exist. I must

> admit one of my favorite books of all time is " The Lion, the Witch

> and the Wardrobe " by C.S. .

>

> Anyway, having said that, I suggest that if you are dealing with

> alternative medicine, given the high quantity of out and out fraud

> that unfortunately exists in this otherwise honorable industry, I

> suggest studying up on it, and one of the most useful books I have

> ever found on this subject is " Flim-Flam " by Randi, with

> introduction by Isaac Asimov. ISBN 0-87975-198-3 published by

> Prometheus Books.

>

> I'll quote the cover:

>

> " Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape

> artist. But for the past 35 years of his professional life, he has

> also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and

> supernatural claims that have impressed the thinking of the public

> for a generation: ESP, psychokinesis, psychic detectives,

> levitation, psychic surgery, UFOs, dowsing, astrology, and many

> others. Those of us unable to discriminate between genuine

> scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that has

> resulted in fantastic theories and fancies have long needed

> Randi and Flim-Flam!

>

> In Flim-Flam! Randi explores and exposes what he believes to be

the

> outrageous deception that has been promoted widely in the media.

> Unafraid to call researchers to account for their failures and

> impostures, Randi tells us that we have been badly served by

> scientists who have failed to follow the procedures required by

their

> training and traditions. Here he shows us how what he views as

> sloppy research has been followed by rationalizations of evident

> failures, and we see these errors and misrepresentations clearly

> pointed out. Mr. Randi provides us with a compelling and

convincing

> document that will certainly startle and enlighten all who read it. "

>

> I've tossed the Introduction on my web page too, if anyone wants to

read it:

>

> http://www.xenopink.com/deadly-misinformation.html

>

>

> -Elliot

>

>

>

> >Hi My name is Twila and my husband was diagnosed last November with

> >olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

> >

> >We are struggling to come to grips with this. He was a very hard

> >working farmer up until last fall. He is finding it very difficult

> >to deal with this. He has slipped very quickly and now is he

> >having trouble walking and talking.

> >

> >We have been trying everything to help. He has been having

> >acupunture since last fall. We are now trying Jin Shin Jyutsu

which

> >is a from of reflexiology and we are also trying aroma therapy.

> >

> >Has anyone every tried these treatments and how successful were

they.

> >

> >Hope someone can help.

> >

> >Twila

> >

> >

> >

> >If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> >unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

> >

> >shydrager-unsubscribe@y...

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Elliot,

I agree with you in the aspects that when we,a loved one, a dear

friend are handed a diagnoses of a terminal disease we want to hope

that there is something out there that will cure us that the doctors

might not know anything about. We are usually easy prey. It is good

that we have support groups, books, and other things out there that

will prevent us from tossing our money into the wind. I know that you

said you do not have MSA. Does someone you love or know have MSA?

God bless,

Belinda

>

> Hi Twila,

>

> My response to your inquiry will not be directly useful for you,

but

> you or others on the list might still find it interesting.

>

> It seems that the burden of researching MSA, or any other disease

for

> that matter, falls on the shoulders of the patient much more than

it

> should. It is unfortunate therefore, that in addition with having

to

> contend with a body of research that is incomplete, complicated,

and

> somtimes obscure, all patients must also contend with a multi-

billion

> dollar a year industry of fraud, deception, and confusion. I am

> indeed speaking of the industry that generally masquerades as

> " alternative treatment. " (not to be confused with the legitimate

> side of the " alternative " treatment industry.)

>

> Alternative treatment is one thing. Flim flam is another. I have

no

> doubt that in actual fact , in all physical reality, aromas do have

a

> positive and/or negative effect on the body, to the extent perhaps

> even that such effect could be medicinal in nature. I also have no

> doubt that miracles can happen, in so much as the brain can heal

it's

> self in some situations of certain maladies; in so much as the

brain

> can impair it's self with other self-inflicted maladies. For

example

> people can go blind through psycological mechanisms without any

> physical injury. A study on airline attendants recently found that

> stress actually causes measurable shrinkage of certain parts of the

> brain. So if psycological condition can have detrimental effect,

it

> stands to reason doesn't it that it can have positive effect? The

> placebo effect should not be under-estimated... and the power of

the

> brain should not be underestimated.

>

> _Anything_ potentially has value, from a random experimental

> procedure devised by a researcher or by a 5 year old kid, to the

> " traditional " medicinal procedures that have been practiced for

> thousands of years. Yes, one problem with " modern " medicine is

that

> it has been rather encumbered with cultural attitudes and

> bureaucratic procedures, such that it has in many instances ignored

> the potential value of " traditional " medicines.

>

> On the other hand, no matter how perfect and complete the " modern "

> approach to medicine ever becomes, there will _always_ be the

fakers,

> the frauds, the pedlers of snake oil. It seems indeed that humanity

> is prone to folly. The pseudoscientists, the charlitans, have

spent

> years upon years practicing their art, learning to weild every

> imaginable " weapon of innuendo and falsehood they can think of. "

We

> could cure every disease tomorrow, we could write the last

paragraph

> of the last chapter of knowledge about medicine, but the

> pseudophysicians would not be out of work - far from it. They

would

> work even harder to get what they want from you - some of them want

> money - and some of them just want you to believe, as they often

do,

> that their belief system is the correct one, that their

> " alternatives " are valid.

>

> I have seen this ugly side of " alternative " medicine up close and

> personal - I have seen people's ability to reason methodically and

> rationally stripped away and chipped at bit by bit. I have seen

> little bottles of aroma that will cure anything, I have seen

> accupuncture that will rid the body of any cancer and any other

> malady, etc etc, It _is_ a multi-billion dollar a year industry.

> There are companies that produce the little pills, and the bottles

of

> fluids, and the " medical " charts and the books and the medical

tools.

> It's an entire economic structure that is in place, and it's one

that

> fights for political and social influence.

>

> I have been told " what does it matter?... so what if maybe the

> procedure or medicine does not work?.. It's like they are buying a

> pretty painting. Even if it does not work, it makes the patient

feel

> better to believe that it does. " To this I submit that it is

> dangerous to make someone believe a lie. It robs them of the

chance

> to spend their time and energy in potentially more useful ways.

>

> So of all the alternatives that modern medicine offers you, and all

> the alternatives that alternative medicine offers you, and all the

> alternatives that bunk (fradulent and deceptive) medicine offers

you,

> how do you determine which is most effective? You have limited

> money, and limited time, so how do you make the most of what you

have?

>

> I personally believe that rational and scientific reasoning is the

> best way to sift through all the available alternatives and thusly

> avail yourself of the most accurate and useful information. I

think

> that the human brain is inherently irrational and superstitious,

and

> so I think that deliberate study is necessary to develop the

> reasoning facilties necessary to see and understand that which is

> reasonable, and more importantly, that which is not.

>

> Santa Claus does exist, in the minds of many grown ups, though he

> does not always take the familiar shape of the guy with the big

round

> belly that shakes when he laughs like a tub full of jelly. I must

> admit that I perhaps was on some level disappointed when I read the

> book " Flim-Flam -- Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and other Delusions. " I

> must admit that I would like to believe that fairies exist. I must

> admit one of my favorite books of all time is " The Lion, the Witch

> and the Wardrobe " by C.S. .

>

> Anyway, having said that, I suggest that if you are dealing with

> alternative medicine, given the high quantity of out and out fraud

> that unfortunately exists in this otherwise honorable industry, I

> suggest studying up on it, and one of the most useful books I have

> ever found on this subject is " Flim-Flam " by Randi, with

> introduction by Isaac Asimov. ISBN 0-87975-198-3 published by

> Prometheus Books.

>

> I'll quote the cover:

>

> " Randi is internationally known as a magician and escape

> artist. But for the past 35 years of his professional life, he has

> also been active as an investigator of the paranormal, occult, and

> supernatural claims that have impressed the thinking of the public

> for a generation: ESP, psychokinesis, psychic detectives,

> levitation, psychic surgery, UFOs, dowsing, astrology, and many

> others. Those of us unable to discriminate between genuine

> scientific research and the pseudoscientific nonsense that has

> resulted in fantastic theories and fancies have long needed

> Randi and Flim-Flam!

>

> In Flim-Flam! Randi explores and exposes what he believes to be

the

> outrageous deception that has been promoted widely in the media.

> Unafraid to call researchers to account for their failures and

> impostures, Randi tells us that we have been badly served by

> scientists who have failed to follow the procedures required by

their

> training and traditions. Here he shows us how what he views as

> sloppy research has been followed by rationalizations of evident

> failures, and we see these errors and misrepresentations clearly

> pointed out. Mr. Randi provides us with a compelling and

convincing

> document that will certainly startle and enlighten all who read it. "

>

> I've tossed the Introduction on my web page too, if anyone wants to

read it:

>

> http://www.xenopink.com/deadly-misinformation.html

>

>

> -Elliot

>

>

>

> >Hi My name is Twila and my husband was diagnosed last November with

> >olivopontocerebellar atrophy.

> >

> >We are struggling to come to grips with this. He was a very hard

> >working farmer up until last fall. He is finding it very difficult

> >to deal with this. He has slipped very quickly and now is he

> >having trouble walking and talking.

> >

> >We have been trying everything to help. He has been having

> >acupunture since last fall. We are now trying Jin Shin Jyutsu

which

> >is a from of reflexiology and we are also trying aroma therapy.

> >

> >Has anyone every tried these treatments and how successful were

they.

> >

> >Hope someone can help.

> >

> >Twila

> >

> >

> >

> >If you do not wish to belong to shydrager, you may

> >unsubscribe by sending a blank email to

> >

> >shydrager-unsubscribe@y...

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi Belinda, yeah, my dad has MSA. He's had symptomes for several

years now. Well, MSA aside, being human is in it's self a terminal

condition. Speaking of finite quantities, I'm 26... and I found

http://www.frontiernet.net/~cdm/age1.html (proposed by someone in an

earlier e-mail to the list) to be quite depressing really. See, I

grew up in Nigeria, until I was 8, and you know, I'll take 3rd world

Nigeria over suburbian USA any day, at least, as a nice place to kill

time during one's childhood.. but, at the same time, it's so unfair

that I missed the 80s, in particular the Berlin Wall comming down, in

particular the Pink Floyd concert there. In particular Cyndi Lauper,

and Sinead O'Connor (sp?) 's performace therein.. wow.. I'm just

now discovering this musical alchemy. I just can't handle the 90s..

Britney Spears??? Someone kill me, please. I need to shoot my TV or

something.. I dunno. Anyway, I diverge. I'm curious as to what

causes MSA.. very curious. The way I've had it explained to me,

Human biology in general has to do with these huge molecules folding

in many various different ways. One problem is that it takes a huge

amount of computing power to figgure out how these molecules fold.

So we've got SETI, the " Search For Extra Terresterial Intelligence " ,

and you can download a program and run it on your computer, and what

it does is use your spare clock cycles to sift through radio signals

from outer space to see if there's anything " intelligent " -sounding

about them, on the theory that of all the billions of hours of radio

signals they record, just one of them might catch a radio

transmission from some alien on Mars saying (in Martian, I presume)

" testing.. testing 1 2 3.. is this thing even on? " Geeezzzzz...

There really should be some similar program that does something

useful, like what I'm thinking specifically is if it could give your

computer's spare processor time to researchers to sort through

molecules, looking for that one molecule that might cure cancer, or

MSA.. I wonder if there's anything like that out there... I'll check

on it.. I know someone who might know. That at least, would be

something.

laters-

-elliot

>Elliot,

>I agree with you in the aspects that when we,a loved one, a dear

>friend are handed a diagnoses of a terminal disease we want to hope

>that there is something out there that will cure us that the doctors

>might not know anything about. We are usually easy prey. It is good

>that we have support groups, books, and other things out there that

>will prevent us from tossing our money into the wind. I know that you

>said you do not have MSA. Does someone you love or know have MSA?

>God bless,

>Belinda

--

Elliot

elliot01@...

www.xenopink.com