Does alternative medicine really work?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 2/24/2008 3:16:18 PM Mountain Standard Time, rpautrey2 writes:

Does alternative medicine really work?

Hi...Where was the pharmacy when the pioneers got off the Mayflower???

 

Mary Delicious ideas to please the pickiest eaters. Watch the video on AOL Living.

[Guest guest]

Does alternative medicine really work?

MONTGOMERY MEDICINE

The Paper of Montgomery County

Friday, February 15, 2008

 

I am frequently asked by patients to comment on the use of 'non-

medical " treatments or remedies they have heard or read about on TV,

radio or in print. I usually have to respond that I have limited

knowledge about the product but I will do some research on it for

them.

 

The business of complimentary and alternative medicine or 'CAM " is

booming. This is largely an outgrowth of patient frustration with

traditional medical practice in America. People are fed up with the

high cost of medications and other treatments and are looking for

less expensive 'natural " ways to deal with illness and health

promotion. A study ten years ago estimated that US citizens spent

between $36 billion and $47 billion on CAM treatments. This was more

than the public paid out-of-pocket on hospitalizations that year.

 

Most physicians trained in this country receive little or no

education in CAM treatments in medical school or afterwards. We are

trained in the scientific method from an early age and rely on

carefully designed medical studies to provide evidence that the

likelihood of a specific treatment working is not simply due to

chance. We are therefore very uncomfortable recommending or even

commenting on treatments that we do not feel have passed scientific

scrutiny.

 

Scientific studies that have examined CAM treatments are scarce. To

help alleviate this gap in knowledge, Congress established in 1998

the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

(NCCAM), a branch of the National Institutes of Health. It 'is

dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing

practices in the context of rigorous science; training complementary

and alternative medicine (CAM) researchers; and disseminating

authoritative information to the public and professionals. "

 

When researching a product, I typically start by going to the NCCAM

website at www.nccam.nih.gov to see if there is any information

there. If not, I resort to an Internet search to find information

about the product or its ingredients. The difficulty with Internet

search engines like Google is that the majority of the web sites that

come up are posted by manufacturers or sellers of the product. These

sites frequently look very professional.

 

The sites often have testimonials from physicians or other scientists

who are being well paid to support the product. There are frequently

anecdotal stories of people who have received benefit from the

product. I must stress to the readers that these sites are NOT the

place to go for unbiased information. You should look for sites from

academic or clinical institutions if possible. The URLs (Internet

addresses) for reputable sites often end in '.edu " or '.org " rather

than '.com. " You should avoid any site that is also selling the

product.

 

Some web pages or advertisements go so far as to say that physicians,

scientists, the Government and others (particularly pharmaceutical

companies) are suppressing evidence that their product works. I donft

believe there is any vast conspiracy to prevent these types of

products from being marketed. There is, however, concern that they

are being marketed without scientific evidence that they produce the

desired effect and that they are any safer than other treatments that

do have scientific backing.

 

Hopefully agencies such as NCCAM will be a source of reliable

information for the public so informed choices can be made. In the

meantime, if you read that a product claims to cure one or more major

medical illnesses think to yourself, 'wouldnft that make the front

page of every newspaper on the planet? "

 

Dr. John Roberts is a local family physician and a Wabash College

graduate. He is also one of the owners of The Paper of Montgomery

County. You can contact him at

 

thedoctor, or c/o The Paper of Montgomery County,

101 W. Main St., Crawfordsville, Ind.

[Guest guest]

****Perhaps its time for the MDs to get with the program?

 

> Most physicians trained in this country receive little or no

> education in CAM treatments in medical school or afterwards.

[Guest guest]

It is hard for the Md's to get with the program as most medical schools

are funded/backed by big pharma. They can't get with a program that is

not there and they are so (I will not use term brainwashed) taught that

Medicine is the way to go for years. It is hard to get on a new mind

set, but CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. I now have Doctors actually referring

clients to my Colonics and Detox Wellness Center, a huge change from

years ago! Cookie Berryman www.colonics4health.com

 

 

, " jlkinkona " <josephine

wrote:

>

>

> ****Perhaps its time for the MDs to get with the program?

>

> > Most physicians trained in this country receive little or no

> > education in CAM treatments in medical school or afterwards.

>

[Guest guest]

Schools have been funded and controlled by the drug companies for the

last 20 plus years. There is not excuse why doctors can't get with the

program by now. But its okay, since I wouldn't trust them with

alternative health anyway. Josephine.

 

 

 

, " Ma Nithya Meetaa "

<colonics4health wrote:

>

> It is hard for the Md's to get with the program as most medical schools

> are funded/backed by big pharma. They can't get with a program that is

> not there and they are so (I will not use term brainwashed) taught that

> Medicine is the way to go for years. It is hard to get on a new mind

> set, but CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. I now have Doctors actually referring

> clients to my Colonics and Detox Wellness Center, a huge change from

> years ago! Cookie Berryman www.colonics4health.com

>

>

> , " jlkinkona " <josephine@>

> wrote:

> >

> >

> > ****Perhaps its time for the MDs to get with the program?

> >

> > > Most physicians trained in this country receive little or no

> > > education in CAM treatments in medical school or afterwards.

> >

>