Sunday, 11 January 2009

• When Modern Medicine Gives up Hope - A Rebuttal

  Guest blog by Strangebrain. A response to this post
  

  The day I joined Xanga, I was almost immediately greeted with a friend request from the community blog “HealthKicker”.  I thought to myself, ‘Sure, why not, I try to live a healthy lifestyle. Plus as I will most likely spend a fair amount of time, in my future career, speaking to people about healthy living and it will be nice to gain some insight.’ 
  

  Well, being that it is a community blog, where free speech rightly reigns supreme, there were just enough (at least one) articles dedicated to the dissolute acclamation of alternative medicine.  Any of you who have read previous blogs of mine are most likely aware of the fact that I am not a fan. 
  

  And knowing myself, I decided to de-friend them for fear of spending countless hours debating those most dubious of claims.

  So, I was somewhat ashamed of my early behavior when I saw that the alluring “BarelyJen” had an article featured on “healthkicker”, entitled “Why I hate Melatonin”.  Now with a title like that, who wouldn’t be intrigued? Certainly, I was, as it was right up my alley and seemed to show that “HealthKicker” does not carry the bias I first perceived it to have.
  

  So, I read her article, and it was good. In short, BarelyJen chronicled her short lived experience with the supplement Melatonin, which some suggest (wikipedia) can help with insomnia.  However, the research link provided on Wikipedia, as to the efficacy of Melatonin, was a bit suspect. The reason I find it suspect is that before a double-blind study was conducted, a 2 week single-blind study was administered first. 
  

  Now, I’ve never done research on sleep latency before, but this methodology screams confirmation bias to me. I could be wrong, I don’t know, I’m not an expert on the matter and you should take my words as such (anyone who can show me the efficacy of melatonin, I’m willing to listen).  That being said, I gave “healthkicker” another chance. 

  So, I read the article right below “BarelyJen’s”.  The article was called “When Modern Medicine Gives up Hope”. I have to say that in retrospect, I felt a bit like Bruce Banner, riding on the highway to the anger zone.                   

                                               

   I have already posted a ‘short’ response in the comment section of the article in question. I did not get into to much detail.  This was in an effort to be as civil as possible and not clog the comments section. Since this is my blog I will, naturally, hold the article to the same scrutiny that I would, say, the Holly Perkins flu article.  

  Because of my lethargic nature, I am just going to copy and paste, instead of writing something new, the comment I left on the “HealthKicker” site and not add to it.  I have taken the liberty of italicizing it, so that any of you who have already read it, can skip pass my rambling with ease.

  First, let me apologize to the author. As I must say, I find this article seems a bit in erudite.  While I agree with the author, that nature is in fact “lush in beauty”, I find the ‘meat’ of this article to be quite dubious.  I promise not to clog up the comment board to much.  As I know, this can be rather annoying.  But there does seem to be a bit of misinformation within this blog.  As a result, I will be posting a critique/rebuttal on my own weblog. But I will summarize some of my concerns, here.

  “Nature….if used properly, are almost completely free of any undesirable side effects”.

  Well, No.  Similar to physics, (similar, not just like, for any physicists out there) in medicine for every action, there is a reaction.  When you put something into your body, whether it is naturally occurring or synthesized, it will have an effect on your body.  Well that’s the idea right?  Well it also does undesirable things.  A funny example, eating is unquestionably good, yes? Of course it is.  If you did not eat you would die. But as a result of eating, you have bowel movements, something very undesirable if one were, say on a date.  I know that has little relevance to medicine, but it is a funny sort of analogy.

  This next statement is logically flawed, and I will tell you why, but first. What is up with the quotations on the word science? 

  “What if modern "science" put all the effort that they are throwing into developing new drugs, that only mask or take away symptoms, into the study and research of plants, minerals, and the vast array of holistic methods that nurture the body and aid it's own abilities to repair itself”.

  Ignoring the fallacious claim that science (I’m assuming the author means science-based medicine) only develops drugs that mask or take away symptoms, we can argue the point of scientists studying plants for medicinal purposes.  THEY DO!!!!  In fact most “modern medicine” is derived from a plant (Aspirin, for example comes from willow).  But unlike holistic medicine and naturopathy (who give unregulated and sometimes untested doses), medical scientists take the time to find out what, in the plant, produces the desired effect and or effects, and isolate it, and give proper dosing. 

  That is it for now.  Like I said I will be posting a somewhat more meticulous review on my own site at some point, hopefully, tommorrow.

  Wasn’t that fun? Okay on to other items. Let’s start with the beginning of the article.

  “Often in our "modern" society, we are told that anything not labeled by a drug company and sold as medicine, is an "old wives" tale and should be utterly scorned with lofty disdain.”  Well, I don’t know about encouraging disdain, unless of course you’re me, who thrives on disdain, but…………  The reason those things, that are “not labeled by a drug company are considered old wives tale” is because…. They are just that, old wives tales.  If they had proven to have had any real effect, than a drug company would have slapped a patent on it and sold it by the handful. 

  Another piece from the article I take question with, “But one must question organizations like the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and AMA (American Medical Association) that hold such unchallenged power”.

  The FDA has unchallenged power??  If the FDA’s power were so “unchallenged” why do we still have this uphill battle concerning the sales of vitamins and supplements that have been shown to be utterly useless? The FDA unfortunately has no jurisdiction in the area of supplements (that’s why they have that little warning) and as a result supplement manufactures can make unfounded health claims.

  Another one, “Why after years of cancer treatments that ravage the body and have such a staggering rate of failure, have they not at least opened their minds to consider the natural options that surround us?  Why are they so malicious in their efforts to shut down any doctor that practices holistically and makes claims of cure?”  

  Staggering rates of failure? The National Cancer Institute,  who keep epidemiological data on the matter, show an overall improvement in the treatment of nearly all types of cancer for every single year from 1975 to 2005. As to why some are so “malicious” to shut down holistic medical practices that make claims of a cure. Because, you can make all the claims you want. But if you do not have the evidence (evidence, being the ability to show it works) to support it, it is, in my opinion, robbing people of their time and money. Also, it’s not malice that we hold towards holistic medicine.  It’s just the same level of scrutiny that we hold all medical research to.

  The author then tells a story about her mother nearly meeting her end at the hands of a “callous, ignorant” physician.  However, all was well thanks to the perseverance of one Dr. Charles Roger. To the author: I am happy for both you and your mother. I’m sure you are both wonderful people and I hope nothing but many years of happiness for yours and your family.

  Dr. Charles Roger, who the author correctly says, is not allowed to practice in the U.S. (at least not the practices he endorses on his website) is, in my opinion, both deceptive and completely unethical in his practice of “medicine”.   Dr. Rogers’ website, www.doctorofhope.com.mx/ , which is shared by a number of other questionable “docotors”, is full of dubious claims.

   Such as, “Photodynamic therapy, also called cancer light therapy, gives our patients the newest third generation cancer killing edge that is now available at Saint Joseph Medical Center and is so effective that it will be common in North America within the next 7 to 10 years. Interestingly though, this is a treatment that was used in a primitive form to treat cancer over 90 years ago”. 

   Really? Then why is it no longer used?  Was all knowledge prior to 89 years ago completely forgotten? Or was it that your Photodynamic therapy has absolutely no effect on the treatment of disease.  Actually, the website answers this quite nicely, in white letters, at the bottom of the website, in 6 point font. Do you know how small 6 point font is?  About this small.

  Well here it is, in a font that is readable to humans. Again, I took the liberty of highlighting some key points.

  “Any reference to a commercial product, process, service, or company is not an endorsement or recommendation by the US government, the Department of Health and Human Services, FDA or any of its components. FDA is not responsible for the contents of any off-site Internet information referenced by or linked to the agency's internet site. The statements made within this web site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements and the products of this company are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please consult your physician before implementing any new diet, exercise, and dietary supplement programs, especially if you have preexisting medical conditions or are taking prescribed medications. The statements made in this web site are for educational purposes only and are not meant to replace the advice of your physician or health care provider. Individual results may vary. This web site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for the diagnosis, treatment and advice of a qualified licensed professional. This site offers people medical information and tells them their alternative medical options, but in no way should anyone consider that this site represents the "practice of medicine. This site assumes no responsibility for how this material is used. Also note that this web site frequently updates its contents, due to a variety of reasons, therefore, some information may be out of date. The statements regarding alternative treatment for cancers have not been evaluated by the FDA.
  This Web Site Is Managed and Hosted by Lonewolf Web Design & Services of Canada and is Not Intended as Advertising for U.S. residents. Clinic is a NAFTA Treaty Mexican Business Entity.
  No individual case is typical. You should not expect to experience identical results.
  All medical treatment is available only at the facility and only from the medical director, Dr. Reyes.
  Saint Joseph Medical Center is solely owned by a Mexican corporation. No medications or supplements may be shipped to the USA by Saint Joseph Medical Center.
  However, medications may be allowed to be imported by the patient in person or in continuing treatment.
  Your use of this site signifies your agreement to this disclaimer”
  
  

  Really????

   

  As for HealthKickers, they are back on my list of friends. The rest of the site is pretty good.
  
  Why do people resort to other forms of medicine, is it because they're misinformed? Are you still likely to use holistic or naturopathy medicine even though the methods are still untested?
  
  

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