It's Time We Did Something

[UCLAri]

<p>
[quote]
If they truly wanted to help people, they would have made their findings available so that people could decide for themselves. Or, at the very least, other researchers might be able to continue where they left off. But no. They hoarded the knowledge.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Probably. But also keep in mind that these companies are frightfully afraid of litigation. Imagine if the company somehow got tied to its use and someone died from it?</p>

<p>The FDA also has a legitimate reason for being cautious, as it's VERY hard to isolate possible side effects.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Perhaps you didn't see my previous post about holistic therapies usually being a combination of a number of different healing modalities. It is true that some herbs have very strong actions and would show up in a double blind study - vitamin C, beta glucan, coenzyme Q10, hawthorne berry, goldenseal, echinacea, and many others. But when you get into cancer research it is usually a combination of many things because it is a highly complex issue.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>There's much to be said for this, but a lot of what is today deemed "holistic medicine" is just common sense.</p>

<p>Exercise, reasonable dietary supplementation, good diet, reduced stress lifestyle, and avoidance of cancer-causing agents is just common sense. I don't need to go to a holistic medicine specialist to know this.</p>

<p>And that's one of my biggest criticisms of the industry. I see so many products and books being peddled on the Internet that are just full of what anyone can figure out on their own. Instead, people need these sellers to tell them what's just easy to figure out on your own.</p>

<p>I mean, no duh that not eating a lot of saturated fat will reduce your risk of heart disease...</p>

<p>
[quote]
That is true NOW. But 25 years ago diet and exercise were barely given lip service. The effectiveness of heart disease has enjoyed the most acknowledgment by the allopathic medical community. I would like to see cancer follow suit. It's beginning to. It is becoming better known that antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies reduce the risk of cancer. I knew this 25 years ago. Did you?

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I wasn't alive 25 years ago, so...no. But I'm pretty sure I could've figured this out.</p>

<p>There has definitely been a shift in allopathic medicine toward prevention as much as cures. But I think there's also been a further awareness of just how lacking in common sense most people are. Exercise and good diet will prevent heart disease? Astounding! I've seen papers from the 1960s saying this.</p>

<p>Then again, a lot of our understanding of the body has gotten better in just the past few decades. Keep in mind that we didn't even know until the late 50s or 60s with certainty what the building block of life is (thanks to Rosalind Franklin and to an extent Watson and Crick.) Our understanding of underlying causes of disease has increased a great deal.</p>

<p>And I think our understanding of lifestyle effects has also increased. A lot of what gets termed "holistic medicine" has the work of traditional scientists to thank for giving us the root causes of things like cardiovascular disease. Remember, it was modern medical science, not Chinese medicine, that gave us the sphygmomanometer, and therefore the ability to measure blood pressure. It's only with diagnosis that we can actually even begin to figure out what needs to be changed.</p>

<p>
[quote]
What do you mean by 'mystic medicine?' Psychic surgeons are in the category of shamans and Christian faith healers who report miraculous healings by laying on of hands and prayer. Those represent a very small percentage of what is termed 'holistic healing.' Most holistic therapists have respectable offices and follow very specific protocols.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I don't even term them "holistic" medicine, but really just snake oil peddlers. They're lying thieves and crooks who take advantage of people's good will to sell them a false sense of well-being. </p>

<p>Of course, it should be legal because we should all be allowed to commit suicide, but that doesn't mean it's not morally reprehensible. </p>

<p>
[quote]
It really is a fascinating subject. You might want to investigate it further.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You're assuming I haven't.</p>

[UCLAri]

<p>
[quote]
Here is but one of the alternative remedies you are so quick to label 'snake oil':

[/quote]
</p>

<p>When did I label CoQ10 snake oil? Assumptions, assumptions, assumptions. </p>

<p>
[quote]
Over the years, I have asked probably at least a dozen people with heart disease whether their docs told them about CoQ10. So far not a single one said yes.</p>

<p>WHY are docs not telling their heart patients about CoQ10???

[/quote]
</p>

<p>For one, that's not necessarily a really good sample...</p>

<p>Secondly, the doctors may simply not know about it. Doctors are people, and therefore prone to lacking information. They're not gods, even if they've attempted to deify themselves a tad.</p>

[lealdragon]

<p>
[quote]
no duh that not eating a lot of saturated fat will reduce your risk of heart disease...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That's common knowledge now because the media and docs have done a good job of drawing attention to it. But my dad died of heart disease 25 years ago and at that time, no, it was NOT common sense. He knew of no such thing. Only after he had his first heart attack was he told to cut back, and even then he was given very scanty guidance on diet and lifestyle compared with what he'd be told today. As I said, there IS some progress being made, but docs are woefully behind in the area of cancer and other degenerative diseases, which are affected by diet & lifestyle just as much as heart disease is.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Secondly, the doctors may simply not know about it.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Right, because it's not taught in medical schools. Docs are taught very little nutritional awareness in medical schools. The emphasis is on drugs because that is how the drug companies make their $$.</p>

<p>CoQ10 is in the category of holistic medicine because if a heart patient goes to a holistic practitioner, CoQ10 is one of the first supplement he will be advised to take. It's reprehensible that the medical schools do not teach the docs to recommend such inexpensive and noninvasive treatments.</p>

<p>Sure, diet and exercise are common sense. But no way are people going to know about useful supplements like CoQ10. I've had people tell me they were afraid to take it because their doc didn't recommend it. Meanwhile, they almost died from side effects of Lipitor...</p>

<p>Also, as I explained, holistic / allopathic medicines are completely different mindsets. When people go to an allopathic doc, their mentality is that they want a quick fix. High cholesterol is one of the easiest conditions to fix with lifestyle changes, yet people often would rather take a pill. That's ok; that's their perogative. </p>

<p>Whereas, usually when people to go holistic practitioners, they are already in the mindset that they are frustrated with the development of disease despite allopathic treatments, and they are ready to try something different. They also have to be ready to take a more active role in their treatment. A holistic practitioner will not just dispense some supplements. Supplements will be but a small part of a larger treatment protocol.</p>

<p>Just for the record, I am NOT against conventional treatments for acute, emergency conditions. Allopathic medicine shines in that area. It also shines in the area of diagnosis. I totally give them credit for that.</p>

<p>But, once diagnosed, people should be made aware of their options. It should be the responsibility of the docs to know about things like CoQ10. After all, it is in their own medical journals!</p>

<p>Also, while traditional methods offer precise diagnosis of disease, Chinese medicine has methods to determine CONDITIONS which, in terms of which treatment is offered, is the same thing. In other words, a traditional acupuncturist might not know the modern term for hypertension, he might call it something else, but then he prescribes herbal remedies for hypertension. This has been documented. It's uncanny. </p>

<p>I'm not saying that people shouldn't get a conventional diagnosis. But you'd be amazed how accurate Chinese medicine is. It's an extremely complex system that dates back thousands of years, and it WORKS.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, the ills of modern society (fast food, toxic chemicals, etc.) had added a new dimension to the very complex health issue that traditional Chinese doc might not be prepared for. Therefore, that's why I think complimentary medicine is the best of both worlds, for those who would choose it.</p>

<p>
[quote]
you're assuming I haven't...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Your comments indicate so. There is a basic grasp of the dynamics of holistic medicine that is lacking. Holistic medicine cannot be reduced to double-blind studies that try to isolate active ingredients. It is much more...WHOLISTIC...than that.</p>

[jaso9n2]

<p>I agree, but I hate when people do that thing where they trivialize someone's problems because there are people with even bigger problems. No, we don't have to worry about being shot at in Iraq. But our problems have merit, too. They aren't figments of our imagination. They aren't things that we can just overlook but don't because we're so self-involved. We shouldn't feel guilty for not being in a war-torn country. We should be thankful, but not guilty.</p>