Guest guest Posted January 9, 2004 Report Share Posted January 9, 2004 Fri, 9 Jan 2004 12:06:43 -0500 WC Douglass Equal time Daily Dose January 9, 2004 ************************************************************** Giving (back) an inch A few weeks ago, I wrote about a Texas court case in which a father is being tried for putting his son " in danger " by giving the boy complementary medicine therapies for his cancer (Daily Dose, 12/16). That's what I inferred, anyway, from the father's own impassioned appeal to me and some of my colleagues for help. Regrettably, I have no further details about the outcome of the case, but response to the story from readers like you was quite heartening. Many wrote in to ask where they could send their alternative medicine " success stories " in hopes of helping out with the man's defense. Along with these, however, came one letter from an alternative-sympathetic M.D. (an anesthesiologist, ironically) that took me to task. In his letter, the good doctor charges me with being " closed-minded " about the valuable role conventional medicine plays in healing - which is the very same assertion I make almost daily about the mainstream's view of safe, healthy alternatives... And I have to say: He's got a point, sort of. All too often, I'm so busy pointing out ways in which the mainstream medical establishment has let us down, sold itself down the river, or otherwise compromised its very soul that I fail to mention the many conventional MDs that are, in fact, concerned only with healing their patients - regardless of whether the most successful treatments come from the mainstream or from alternatives not sanctioned by the establishment. If your doctor is one of these, stick with him (or her). You'll be getting the very best medicine from both worlds, so to speak. But in my defense, I must reinforce to you the stark reality that open-minded doctors of this type are few and far between. Further, I'd like to remind everyone that I'm first and foremost an M.D. who spent decades practicing medical techniques of a (mostly) mainstream sort. However, the last few decades have seen a sea change in conventional medicine -a shift away from the noble concept of HEALING and toward the nefarious goal of PROFIT. And, begging the pardon of the precious few conscientious mainstream doctors out there who are receptive to ALL of medicine (conventional or otherwise), that's why I write the Daily Dose the way I do. It's a simple matter of balance... Because if I don't hold the medical establishment's feet to the fire, who will? ************************************************************** To start receiving your own copy of the Daily Dose, visit: http://www.realhealthnews.com/dailydose/freecopy.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the Daily Dose. ************************************************************** SARS, the sequel... Bad news on the SARS front. Taiwan (the country right next door to China, who hid all those SARS cases from the World Health Organization this past year) predicts that within the next few months, the virus will make a major return. According to sources within Taiwan's Center for Disease Control, it's likely to be especially hard to diagnose this time around. Why? Because the initial symptoms of SARS are nearly identical to those of the common flu - and this year's influenza epidemic in that Asian nation is likely to eclipse 3 million patients. As if that's not bad enough, the peak seasons for both conditions overlap almost exactly. Also, the rate of simultaneous infection with both influenza and SARS is at this point unknowable. What's it all mean? It means that the deadly SARS virus could come roaring back with a vengeance. Taiwanese health officials are bracing for this possibility as best they can, but only time will tell what the extent on any new outbreak might be. And in some related SARS news... British scientists have concluded that the SARS virus can be carried by some common household pets - most notably cats and ferrets. What's more, these virologists from Rotterdam, England warn that such animals could easily transmit the virus to humans through casual contact. In fact, the original source of the virus itself was the semi-wild Civet cat, sold in animal markets throughout Asia. These findings, recently reported in the journal Nature, suggest that SARS could be gestating in multiple species, raising concerns that another human outbreak is not only possible, but inevitable. Currently, there is no screening test for the SARS virus in animals. Or people, for that matter. Brace yourselves - and wash those hands, please! Your not-so-silent sentinel, William Campbell Douglass II, MD ************************************************************** Copyright ©1997-2003 by www.realhealthnews.com, L.L.C. The Daily Dose may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. ************************************************************** Before you hit reply to send us a question or request, please visit here: http://www.realhealthnews.com/questions.shtml ************************************************************** If you'd like to participate in the Dr. Douglass' Real Health Breakthroughs Forum, search past e-letters and products or you're a Dr. Douglass' Real Health Breakthroughs r and would like to search past articles, visit http://www.realhealthnews.com ************************************************************** To learn more about Dr. Douglass' Real Health Breakthroughs, call (203) 699-4420 or visit http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/RHB/WRHBD610/home.cfm ************************************************************** Hotjobs: Enter the " Signing Bonus " Sweepstakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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