Why Don’t Alternative Medicine Apostles Ever Give Specific Examples?

1. Gary Y Says

   Joe, don’t be too concerned with ‘Know The Cause’ or any of his other personas – he is troll only. He is not here for valid discussion or debate, or even to answer questions. Mr E is willfully ignorant and he also will not respond to requests for evidence to support his outlandish claims; he just wants to push chiropractic here.
   People like this commit logical fallacies over and over again; the best you can do is point them out so hopefully people who ask genuine questions about their health will think twice and not put their health in danger, or get conned by quackery.

2. Alec S Says

   Hey Joe,
   Just off the top of my head:
   Cardiac problems are often reversible by changing smoking, diet and exercise habits (the causes), vs. bypass surgery (treating symptoms).
   Insomnia is often caused by stress and anxiety. Should healers deal with the stress and anxiety (causes) or just pass out some pills (treating symptoms)?
   Constipation is no joke. Extended periods of constipation can cause very serious permanent damage. One would do well to treat the cause (diet, exercise, herbs, supplements, etc.) than to treat the symptoms (laxatives, enemas), which does nothing to prevent recurrence.
   Specific enough? I offer preventative and cause treating advice on here all the time, when the question calls for it.
   Joe, you sound like a clever “question authority” type guy. I dare you to educate yourself more on this subject, and you’ll learn about the actual weaknesses of both allopathic and naturopathic medicine, as well as their strengths. The greatest strength of the Naturopathic approach is it’s attempt to find and treat the cause, not the symptoms.
   Good luck,
   Alec. S.

3. Yeah Right Says

   You know blow hards like that don’t have any examples. They do not know difference between etiology and etymology. They are lacking in basic understanding of biology, anatomy, and physiology.
   One blames everything on neck. Allergy? Neck! Heart Disease? Neck! Kidney Stone? Neck! Arthritis? Fallen arches? Hangover? Well obviously, the Neck!
   Other one is ‘true believer’, and a royal pain in the sit-down. Actually believes fungus causes cancer most likely. As if miconazole and nyastatin would help.
   Both are cowards. Neither one can be ‘confused’ with the facts. Logic is foreign language to both. One just have bigger mouth. Name calling is not worst part. Goon squad of other accounts that are used to promote raping women who do not agree with that nonsense, among other things. I’m only here a short time, and see all of that already.
   Neither has real answers or provide people with information. I am sure you are not surprised.
   Maybe you stay around here, help people with these things yourself?

4. Mr E Says

   when your principle is wrong, there is no point in going into the details of it’s application. the principle of medicine is wrong in most instances that it is applied, which is why it naturally fails to restore health. logic? where’s the logic in giving a sick person toxic chemicals? what about the hypocritic oath-first do no harm? read the labels. do you call those side-effects indications of improved health? no, most medicine is just a deceit, an attempt to cover up sickness rather than correct it.

5. angrydoc Says

   I would love to see examples of that too. I’ve answered many many times about how doctors would use diagnostics and imaging to get to the root cause and then treat that cause. Still the alties stick to their already disproven claim. Sigh.
   Welcome to alt med. This place makes the other sections of Y! Answers seem sane.

6. Bam Says

   all I know is more and more medical doctors are becoming
   integrative doctors for a reason , they see how the standard system is limited , and IAm not talking about trama centers ,
   Iam talking about treating chronic disease .
   even fda approved drugs are considered alternative if they are used off label , like naltrexone for example , it is approved at 50 mg and up to treat opiate addiction , but when taken in low doses 4 and a half mg , it indirectly normalizes and boost the immune system with no side bad fx , and it is super cheap , it stops the progression of ms and gives people their lives back , it keeps the immune system strong in hiv patients and they get their life back , it works wonders in
   even late stage cancers and literally gives people their lives back , and crohns , so ldn does address the cause of many deadly diseases which is an unmodulated , weak immune system , but when you are competing with high dollar therapies you will see much friction , and that sucks

7. Part Time Cynic Says

   I ain’t no apostle but here’s your examples of how western medicine is grasping for straws to treat:
   “Artemisinin (pronounced /ɑrtɨˈmɪsɨnɨn/), also known as qinghaosu, and its derivatives are a group of drugs that possess the most rapid action of all current drugs against falciparum malaria[1]. Treatments containing an artemisinin derivative (artemisinin-combination therapies, ACTs) are now standard treatment worldwide for falciparum malaria. The starting compound, artemisinin (a sesquiterpene lactone), is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua, a herb described in Chinese traditional medicine, though it is usually chemically modified and combined with other medications.”
   Chinese medicine used it before Jesus was born
   “Artemisia has been used by Chinese herbalists for more than a thousand years in the treatment of many illnesses, such as skin diseases and malaria. The earliest record dates back to 200 BC, in the “Fifty-two Prescriptions” unearthed from the Mawangdui Han Dynasty Tombs. Its antimalarial application was first described in Zhouhou Beji Fang (“The Handbook of Prescriptions for Emergencies”), edited in the middle of the fourth century by Ge Hong.”http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisinin
   Turmeric is another plant that has grabbed the imagination of western medicine and is subject to intense clinical trials. It’s been used in Ayurvedic medicine since 1900BC.
   “Turmeric has been used historically as a component of Indian Ayurvedic medicine since 1900 BC to treat a wide variety of ailments.[7] Research in the latter half of the 20th century has identified curcumin as responsible for most of the biological activity of turmeric.[7] In vitro and animal studies have suggested a wide range of potential therapeutic or preventive effects associated with curcumin. At present, these effects have not been confirmed in humans. However, as of 2008, numerous clinical trials in humans were underway, studying the effect of curcumin on various diseases including multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, myelodysplastic syndromes, colon cancer, psoriasis, and Alzheimer’s disease.[8]“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curcumin
   Didn’t read the question did I? Why should I? You have no intention of taking anything constructive on board to start with so a rant deserves a rant.
   Have a nice day!

8. Lightnin Says

   This is a good question Joe. Whether you are a conventional medic or altie you can be either holistic or reductionist.
   To answer your question, giving someone lemsip does nothing to cure a cold just helps the symptoms a little.
   Acid reflux treatments usually centre around H2 blockers like Zantac. It may stop the stomach releasing acid but doesn’t address why the stomach is producing too much acid. Symptom relief again.
   Statins to reduce cholesterol? Sure they are very effective at doing that but why is the Liver releasing so much Cholesterol?
   New research suggests that arterial inflamation is what makes cholesterol stick to the arteries for the repair process, and a high processed food diet is the cause of this. If the arteries are not inflamed cholesterol has nothing to cling too. Lowering cholesterol is not helpful in stopping arterial inflammation. It does reduce how much cholesterol is available to stick to the arteries though. Targeting symptoms again….
   Some people are very prone to ENT infections. Anti-biotics help but why are they so prone? Is there anything else we can do to make them less prone so anti-biotics aren’t required?
   Not all of medicine is like this of course. Likewise a lot of altmed is about providing symptomatic relief because sometimes that is all that is available.
   I treat lots of patients with arthritis. Have I failed if I can’t reverse the process?
   Of course not (I’d be very famous if I found a way to reverse any type of arthritis). I will have failed if I couldn’t provide them with symptomatic relief.
   However, going back to medicine, I do think it could be practiced more intelligently and holistically at times and it should aim to do more than just provide symptom management if possible.
   Edit:
   Fitz, you can’t force people to take meds either.
   If their choice is a couple of pills or radical life changes compliance is generally better for a couple of pills even if the net result is treating symptoms compared to root cause resolution.
   Edit:
   ####People are lazy and want to believe that a pill will solve everything, hence the popularity of homeopathy####
   And why do people think this?
   Its because thats what they have ben trained to do by the medical profession and pharma with marketing.
   Are you actually admitting that a shortfall in medical practice is responsible for the popularity of Homeopathy?

9. Theresa Says

   Anything with the word “syndrome” in the name. Actually, it was a MD who told me that using the word “syndrome” means that the medical fraternity doesn’t know what causes it, nor exactly what it is. So, chronic fatigue syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome are two very specific conditons, which are diagnosed mostly by elimination of other illnesses or a list of symptoms. One doctor even told me that I was suffering from “sick office syndrome”, and dismissed me. That was after she had first diagnosed a soft tissue infection, which “recurred” a few months later.
   Since you are criticising people, you might want to take a look at your question. It is a gross generalistion as it is not actually true. You might be able to say that for a couple of people, but you have included the entire group.
   And there are plenty of examples of name-calling from both sides. Most commonly in the answers I have seen, the words “stupid” and “ignorant” are used by conventional medicine proponents. Or they insist that anyone who supports Alt Med is completely lacking in education which is a statement that cannot be substantiated. And I have seen at least one person argue that the insults is okay because it’s true.

10. Flizbap 2.0 Says

    Whenever doctors are forced to only “treat the symptoms” it’s because in LOTS of cases that’s simply all that can be done.
    It’s a sad fact that there are far far more ways to destroy the human body than to fix it, and no amount of faith in a magical healing crystal can change that. Death is an unstopable force and the very nature of a doctor’s job implies that they are going to fight a losing battle every day.
    Alties just have to see the world through rose colored glasses, where a simple herb or magical spell can take away all the worlds disease if only the big bad Pharmawocky would let it happen.
    EDIT: Alec, you cannot force someone to eat healthy, stop smoking, and stress less. All doctors can do is advise the person to correct their lifestyle, and the person can choose to ignore them.
    EDIT EDIT: Lighty, you don’t need to force people to take pills, many people see it as the easy option and elect to simply take the pill swhile ignoring the rest of their doctor’s advice.
    People are lazy and want to believe that a pill will solve everything, hence the popularity of homeopathy.

11. ƦєdAиgєℓ Says

    An excellent answer Theresa. Also, to add the word “idiopathic”. A fancy term the medical profession use for – the cause of the condition is unknown.
    A rigorous test according to a modern medicine means that the product must have gone through one or more randomized, double blind clinical trials; this is considered the gold standard. Clinical trial like this however are expensive but big pharma has the money (profit is 600 billion annually) for these trials.
    But not every alternative remedy has a clinical trial (lemon and water to flush out kidney stones benefits what multi billion dollar corporation?) but thousands and hundreds of thousands of people all finding the alternative treatment works is evidence in itself. Apparently hundreds to hundreds of thousands of people reporting a product works and is effective means nothing to skeptics or other medical professionals as there is no “clinical trial” but hundreds of thousands of people reporting adverse side effects can remove a billion dollar drug from the market…interesting. And when a independant clinical trial shows an alternative medicine does work, this is dismissed as inadequate or a poorly run clinical trial. This month an independant review of all new big pharma drugs showed 85% were lemons. The “gold standard” looks a dull bronze…
    “One study of 111 final applications for approval found 42% were missing data from adequately randomised trials, 40% were supported by flawed testing of dosages, 39% lacked evidence of clinical efficacy, and 49% raised concerns about serious adverse side-effects”http://www.examiner.ie/world/firms-hype-…
    Unless you read medical journals all day long, you may not find the clinical trial that has proven an alternative medicine does work. Not that anyone who has used an alternative medicine and found it effective needs a clinical trial. Both of these studies were gold standard trials>>>
    A study published in the medical journal Multiple Sclerosis Clinical and Laboratory Research in August 2003, evaluated the effects of reflexology on relieving the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Reflexology decreased the patients symptoms with paresthesias, urinary symptoms and spasticity compared to a “fake” reflexology.
    A study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in July 2002, showed aromatherapy helped patients suffering from severe dementia to be significantly less agitated, participated in constructive activities and were more interested in social interaction.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.