Alternative medicine

[CharleyH]

I believe there is something to be said for, well at least acupuncture. In Europe I have had dental work done with nothing more than a few needles - NO FREEZING like in North America where you get frozen to death - even in a root canal. The root canal cost me €40.00 euros and I did not even notice it happening. It was wonderful. How do you feel about alternative medicine: Good? Bad?

 

[English Lady]

My mum is a holistic therapist, she does massage, aromatherapy, the thing with the feet that i've forgotten the name of and has a herbal remedy for everything.

Beth had a bad, bad rash once, so bad it came back after treatment from the doc. Mum made up a high-altitude lavender cream and after just one application it was at least 50% better.

I'm a fan, I think there's alot to be said for complimentary medicine.

 

[Liar]

How do you feel about alternative medicine: Good? Bad?

Yannow, if it works, it works.

But is acupuncture considered kind of mainstream these days?

And what's this thing about freezing stuff for root canals? Never heard of such a thing. A local anaestethic shot, or grin and bear it, are the only options i've ever gotten.

 

[shereads]

Needles, scalpel, whatever. Just give me the laughing gas first.

 

[DesertPirate]

My wife has done wonders using herbals and organic food in her fight with celiacs and cronic fatigue.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

A root canal is where they go in a remove the living nerve of the tooth. The nerve. If they were able to do this with acupuncture only, I'd say it worked pretty well.

I had an acupuncture treatment once and it didn't do squat for me. But they told me I'd have to be treated for 6 weeks and the results would be subtle. I didn't have time for that. Strangely, the treatment raised my blood pressure severely and they had to give me another treatment to bring it down, so I guess it did something.

Still, if I break a leg, I'm going to the hospital. I'm not going to fuck around with any damned crystals and herbs.

 

[galaxygoddess]

Needles, scalpel, whatever. Just give me the laughing gas first.

QFT.

Knock my ass out.

 

[McKenna]

I think modern Western medicine has its roots in herbal medicine, doesn't it?

That said, I'm for alternative methods for dealing with health issues. I don't have a link or a souce at the moment, but scientific studies have proven the effectiveness of acupuncture --and hypnosis, too, among others.

In some instances, I think it's the power of belief itself that cures, and not necessarily the alternative method. The mind is a powerful thing.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I had two molars removed (wisdom teeth) using hypnosis. It made a believer out of me. No pain at all.

Years ago I had an old MD who used a lot of home remedies for various problems. An ounce of Lysol diluted in a gallon of hot water stops Athletes Foot pain/itch instantly. I mean, right now!

 

[jomar]

Good. Within limits though, says my Western mind.

 

[carsonshepherd]

Some of it has no basis in science, and that bothers my left brain, but really, in the end, if it does no harm and makes someone feel better, it doesn't matter if it's scientific or not.

Some products, though (like colon cleanses, etc), are totally bogus and serve only to make money for the people who sell them.

 

[john-the-author]

I like the idea of less invasive, more holistic healing methods, and I also think there's a great deal that Western medicine does not take into account regularly. For example, the value of massage: Bob Hope and his wife lived past 100 in pretty good health because (I firmly believe) they had a resident massage therapist and had been getting massages 2-3x/week for about 70 years. I'm moderately sure that there is statistical evidence that massage does things like that for people, so it's not merely an unsubstantiated belief.

That being said, it's also important to remember that 90% of the time, the body gets better on its own, even if you do nothing. Which means that you could apply a poultice of horse manure and honey to something that's not an open sore and it would get better, leading you to believe (erroneously) that the poultice worked. There are lots of silly things done in the name of alternative medicine that are just plain silly. My mind is open on a lot of things, but not so open that just anything can fall into it and take residence.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I keep expecting SR71PLT to appear and admonish the group for practicing medicine without a license.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I guess that means no more kisses on booboos. I mean there is no demonstrable, scientific link between a kiss and pain relief.

 

[R. Richard]

I think modern Western medicine has its roots in herbal medicine, doesn't it?

In the past, herbal medicine practised mainly by elderly women was big competition for the primitive medicine being practiced by doctors. There was a simple solution to the doctor's problem; try the women as witches.

However, gradually western doctors began to apply the scientific method, rather than the 'legal' method and the discovered the 'active ingredient(s)' in the herbal remedies. Many of our modern medicines were developed by identifying the active ingredient(s) of herbal remedies.