Alternative Medicine (Hint: This is NOT really medicine)

[Bad Writer]

I think we have to be carful not to throw the baby out with the bath water, there have been many cases reported on the benefits of so called alternative medicine, you would have to be living under a rock not to know that.

Most Alternative Medicine claims are just that: claims. The studies done to show their efficacy are either in-house (therefore a conflict of interest) or not done in a double-blind fashion, which diminishes the chance of good results. When I was researching NAET, all I could find on the subject were testimonials. The founder's credentials were dubious, and her hypothesis as to what causes allergies has time and time again been shown as invalid.

Please provide anything relating to Alternative Medicine that is demonstrable evidence of its efficacy. Once you do that (no internet testimonials please), then perhaps we can start some serious investigation towards its legitimacy.

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Pen and Teller do a good knock down of alternative medicines on Bullshit.

Enjoy!

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The muscle diagnosis reminds me of one of my favorites, iridology.

Iridology (also known as iridodiagnosis[1] or iridiagnosis[2]) is an alternative medicine technique whose proponents claim that patterns, colors, and other characteristics of the iris can be examined to determine information about a patient's systemic health. Practitioners match their observations to iris charts, which divide the iris into zones that correspond to specific parts of the human body. Iridologists see the eyes as "windows" into the body's state of health.

Iridologists believe they can use the charts to distinguish between healthy systems and organs in the body and those that are overactive, inflamed, or distressed. Iridologists believe this information demonstrates a patient's susceptibility towards certain illnesses, reflects past medical problems, or predicts later health problems.

I've never heard of anyone actually practicing it, though.

Sounds like it's kind of based on the Meridian principle of acupuncture. Definitely another smelly pile of poo.

[KichigaiNeko]

The only good that my son got out of NAET was the training to focus on is body along with the exercises that went with it. Apart from that, no it does not seem to have any validity.

Pity was that the wait for a Physiotherapist who treated Autistic people was about 2 years, hence this other route.

[FreeTony]

Alternative medicine is popular because:

1. There are no/nicer side effects,, no pain from surgery etc
2. It's generally cheaper
3. A nice room with relaxing music is preferable to a hospital.
4. The placebo effect is powerful, real and has been shown to actually physically alter the body. It's not just in the mind, and can even work if you are told it is just a placebo.
5. Most importantly - people get desperate and at this stage all logic and reason go out of the window.


That said AFAIK there is some evidence that some alternative medicine is better than placebo, e.g. chiropractor spinal manipulation.

[KichigaiNeko]

spinal manipulation is only good IF one has an X-ray from a medical practitioner stating that one's spine is out of alignment.

Other than that, chiropracti is useless.

[TaraJo]

The most alternative medicine I'll use is a melatonin pill when I need to get to sleep.

Eating fresher foods and more vegetables? I should probably do that, too, although eating fresh food isn't exactly easy when you're a poverty striken student. Gimme a few years and a bachelors degree in biology and let's see if things change.

And even things like meditation and incence have health benefits, mostly that they relax you and relaxation has been proven over and over again to be beneficial to your health.

But most of what passes for alternative medicine is just snake oil. Garbage being sold to people without a firm understanding of chemistry or biology or germ theory. A lot of it can be really dangerous, too. Take aspirin, for example; it comes from tree bark, right? So, why not just take the bark directly instead of the processed pills? Mostly because you'd have to eat a tremendous amoun of the bark to get the same amount of aspirin you could get out of one little pill and the bark, under those circumstances, is probably going to be filled with other less beneficial ingredients.

[thesummerqueen]

But most of what passes for alternative medicine is just snake oil. Garbage being sold to people without a firm understanding of chemistry or biology or germ theory. A lot of it can be really dangerous, too. Take aspirin, for example; it comes from tree bark, right? So, why not just take the bark directly instead of the processed pills? Mostly because you'd have to eat a tremendous amoun of the bark to get the same amount of aspirin you could get out of one little pill and the bark, under those circumstances, is probably going to be filled with other less beneficial ingredients.

Most of them won't eat the bark - they'll make an infusion or a tea out of it. What they don't' understand is that the only way to get a consistent amount of the active chemical is to extract it or reproduce it in laboratory conditions.

Hort is funny like that.

[Kayenneh]

The most alternative medicine I'll use is a melatonin pill when I need to get to sleep.

Actually, over here melatonin tablets stronger than 2mg are classified as medicine and can only be sold on prescription

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

Actually, over here melatonin tablets stronger than 2mg are classified as medicine and can only be sold on prescription

You need a prescription for melatonin? That's some bullshit right there.

I take melatonin every night now since I've stopped taking the medication I was on that helped me sleep (it wasn't actually helping with my depression like it was supposed to). Without it, it takes hours to get to sleep each night.

Melatonin also helped me sleep when I was doing grappling tournaments. If I didn't take it, I would be so hyped up I couldn't sleep at all.

[TaraJo]

The most alternative medicine I'll use is a melatonin pill when I need to get to sleep.

Actually, over here melatonin tablets stronger than 2mg are classified as medicine and can only be sold on prescription

Really? What I get are 3mg pills with no prescription. Not sure where our legal threshold is, though.

I could regular sleeping pills, too, but I like melatonin because it gets me to sleep without feeling groggy when I wake up. If I take a regular sleeping pill, I'm out of it for the next 12 hours. Usually, when I need to get to sleep it's because I have something I need to do the next day and I need some sleep for that, so being basically unconscious for 12 hrs isn't a good idea.

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

Really? What I get are 3mg pills with no prescription. Not sure where our legal threshold is, though.

I could regular sleeping pills, too, but I like melatonin because it gets me to sleep without feeling groggy when I wake up. If I take a regular sleeping pill, I'm out of it for the next 12 hours. Usually, when I need to get to sleep it's because I have something I need to do the next day and I need some sleep for that, so being basically unconscious for 12 hrs isn't a good idea.

I know you can get 10mg without a prescription, I'm not sure if it goes higher.

Melatonin doesn't have the weird ass side effects of other sleeping pills, like the ones that Ambien are famous for. And if you take it regularly enough, it will actually help your body get on a normal sleep schedule.