Re: homeopathy and alternative medicine (long)

[Guest guest]

Lets just face it guys, Steve is a homeophobe.

C+

> Hi all

> I wasn't trying to start a major disagreement here, just trying

to

> ask people to keep open minds, based on my (admittedly somewhat

> anecdotal) experience during over 50 years of consulting typical

North

> American doctors, physiotherapists, massage therapists,

chiropractors

> and osteopaths. My main point is that there is, as yet, no

> scientifically accepted long term (25 years or more) proof that

> resurfacing is better than a THR. Logically, it would seem to make

> sense that just replacing the joint and keeping more of an

otherwise

> healthy bone is a good tactic; but, as with statistics, lots of

> dubious " proofs " can be made with logic. However, the majority of

us

> in this group managed to make the necessary " leap of faith " to

choose

> resurfacing, despite the " rigorous scientific " advice of many North

> American orthopedic surgeons. In fact, many of us travelled long

> distances and paid from our own pockets for this " alternative "

> surgery. And so far, many of us are glad we did! It cost me a small

> fortune to go to England for surgery, but it was worth it to get my

> life back. And nine months later, I'm still improving.

>

> Rigorous science needs to be reproducible and work for

everyone.

> Most of us are very happy if we find something that just works for

us

> personally, even if the evidence as to " why " it works has not yet

been

> discovered. New discoveries are made in science everyday (the guy

who

> first postulated that ulcers are caused by a bacteria was treated

like

> a pariah for several years, I've heard, yet now many ulcers are

> quickly cured with the right antibiotic). I am not going to presume

> that just because I can't explain something, or don't believe in it

> myself, it doesn't work for someone else.

>

> And maybe the historical definition of homeopathy isn't totally

> the way that homeopathic doctors operate in Europe today. I have

> certainly read that homeopathic doctors in Germany use a lot of

plant

> preparations as well as the very diluted type of medicines. The

fact

> remains that the medications (rhus tox and arnica) I received

while in

> Dr. McMinn's care were labelled as homeopathic, and the nurse told

me

> that they were such, as well. Whether they fit the classical

> definition, I don't know.

>

> Please excuse me if I make some mistakes in putting my

thoughts

> about medical issues in layman's terms. I'm not a doctor, but I

have

> had to learn a lot about my body in order to relieve pain and keep

> moving. Basically, I've had to take control of my own treatment.

When

> I only saw doctors, they just gave me stronger and stronger

narcotics

> that wrecked my stomach, and caused severe reflux. Plus they told

me

> that I had to wait weeks for diagnostic tests, and years for

surgery.

> One visit to an osteopath made a huge difference to the painful

muscle

> spasms I was getting. He knew a lot more about muscles than most

> doctors (a friend who's a doctor told me she only had two days of

> lectures about muscles in her four years of medical school at a

> prestigious U.S. university).

>

> On the other hand, when I tore a ligament, the osteopath

couldn't

> figure out what was wrong with me. A doctor who had later decided

to

> train as a chiropractor as well, and who specialized in backs, was

the

> first person to actually touch my back instead of just looking at

> Xrays, to watch me move, and to diagnose where I was injured. His

> adjustments helped some, but a registered massage therapist helped

a

> lot more. She was also the one who gave me the best exercises to

do,

> and who convinced me that I should gradually increase them, even

> though doing just two or three repetitions was agony. I would never

> have thought of visiting a massage therapist until some friends

> recommended it, based on their experiences. And at first I was very

> skeptical of her advice, but gradually I was able to exercise more,

> and the pain did reduce considerably (although due to my " locked "

hip,

> it never completely disappeared).

>

> It may be true that the effectiveness of homeopathic

medicine

> depends on the belief system of the patient, or on the fact that a

lot

> of attention is paid to the patient's concerns and stressors

(instead

> of a 10 minute rushed consultation as is common in countries with

> publicly funded medical systems such as Canada where I live).

>

> Certainly belief systems are very important. My brother, who

is a

> Vancouver trained doctor with a lot of experience, spends most of

his

> time practising in Africa. He tells of trying without success to

treat

> a very sick African patient who was on the verge of death, with

lots

> of medically verifiable symptoms. Finally, the relatives insisted

on

> calling in a " witch doctor " to remove the " curse " that someone had

put

> on the man. After the witch doctor's " treatment " , the man

immediately

> started to improve and soon got well.

> Another reason that some alternative treatments may seem to

work

> is that they relieve stress. From personal experience, I know that

> pain gets worse when I'm stressed and worried, especially if I

don't

> know what's causing the pain.

>

> > Don't be so fast to embrace TOM (traditional oriental medicine).

> I have never actually been to a TCM specialist. And I wasn't

> thinking only about their herbal remedies, but also about their

> theories of energy flows, and treatments such as acupuncture. I

> understand that many Canadian doctors and physiotherapists now use

> acupuncture with great success. But I'm not working in the field of

> medicine, so I can't point you to any specific research studies.

> >

> > Bottom line with all this -- only accept it if it works in all

> medical systems.

> Well, that's not necessarily an option, if some medical

systems

> refuse to even test or try certain remedies or practices. And if

they

> WON'T research them just because they can't patent them and make

money

> on them, that doesn't seem to me to be a valid reason to claim that

> such treatments are not valid because they are not supported by a

lot

> of scientific research... It's kind of a vicious circle, isn't it?

>

> >If you can't find a valid reason for it, then be wary.

> I am wary; I read a lot of literature about herbal remedies,

pro

> and con, and some of them I would never try. Some I have tried,

and I

> stopped taking them when they either didn't work or seemed to have

> adverse effects. Others did work well for me, but not for everyone.

> Some that worked for my friends didn't have any effect at all on

me.

>

> However, I believe, like Candace, that we don't yet know

> everything about the body and how it works. We in North America

tend

> to study the physical aspects of disease, without addressing the

whole

> situation the person is actually living in, the way some other

medical

> systems do. I think many North American women are more open to the

> holistic view of medicine (and life) than many men. It's kind of

like

> the different attitude some women have to business: they see their

> employees as complex people with very complicated lives, not just

as

> replaceable inputs to making a profit. (That's just an extreme

> example, guys; let's not get off on another argument about what's

> right or wrong in business attitudes , it's not relevant on this

> board.)

>

> A few people in this group swear by the effectiveness of

> alternative treatments such as rolfing. Others may feel that the

> rolfer is making their injuries and pain worse. Maybe for both of

> them, it's all in their mind, all in their body, or a combination

> thereof. I don't think we can yet prove precisely why some of these

> treatments work for some people, and not for others. So I'm just

> asking those who don't have any use for alternative medicine to be

> more tolerant of those who find that it works for them.

>

> It's true that " snake oil " salesmen caused Americans to be

> skeptical of anything but modern clinical medicine. It's important

to

> study our own history and learn from it. It's also important to

study

> and learn from the history and culture of other parts of the

world. We

> may be defined by our history, but we need not be limited by it...

> n

> rBHR Oct.2003 McMinn