Victims of Alternative Medicine

DETOXING... the new bulimia (continued)

2005-01-25T23:53:00.000-08:00

Celebrities may swear by them, but do detoxification diets really have health benefits?

More on this nutty "detoxing" fad:

‘The concept of "detox" is a myth and you will find that "practitioners" recommending detox all recommend different diets and food exclusions.'

Collins [Catherine Collins, chief dietitian at St George's Hospital.] argues that there is no evidence that detox diets boost the immune system. Furthermore, she says, reducing protein intake will actually compromise it. ‘Fruit and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants and as such help the body to "detoxify" itself naturally -- but you don't need to take kilos of them at the expense of anything else.'

What does Collins recommend? Just eat healthy all the time.

But you knew that already, didn't you?

Make your bed and suffer.

2005-01-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

This is off-topic but I love this story!

Untidy beds may keep us healthy

Failing to make your bed in the morning may actually help keep you healthy, scientists believe.

...A Kingston University study discovered the bugs cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed.

Untidy beds may keep us healthy

On some level, I knew this all along! ;-)

DETOXING... the new bulimia

2005-01-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

We just had a house guest over for two days who was "detoxing" and wouldn't eat any of our food. (or ANY food, that I could tell)

To me, this seemed clearly more neurotic than reasonable. Here is a quote from one article about this fad::

... health specialists say that people’s drive to purge their bodies of toxins can, in fact, be harmful.

Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital in southwest London, said she saw dozens of patients suffering side-effects ranging from bowel problems to potassium depletion. "There is a fixation with the notion that we can detoxify the body through what we eat and drink, but the whole idea has no scientific basis," said Dr Collins.

Doctors warn of the dangers of detox diets

If you are thinking of trying this "detoxing" craze, be sure to not miss this line: the whole idea has no scientific basis.

If it acts like medicine, if smells like medicine and especially if it CLAIMS to be medicine then regulate it like medicine!

2005-01-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

Ayurveda is as nutty as any of the alternative treatments except that the practitioners I've met call themselves doctors and claim -- with a straight face -- that Ayurveda is real medicine based on principles of nature (aka science).

Here is quote from an Ayurveda page:
3. Ayurveda is a complete medical system which recognizes that ultimately all intelligence and wisdom flows from one Absolute source (Paramatman). Health manifests by the grace of the Absolute acting through the laws of Nature (Prakriti). Ayurveda assists Nature by promoting harmony between the individual and Nature by living a life of balance according to her laws.

Definition Of Ayurveda

Well, I say if someone claims he is practicing medicine then he should be regulated like a doctor or a drug company.

The funky guy at the health food store was full of crap about that bottle of vitamins he sold you.

2005-01-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

Here is more on the "mega dose" vitamin scandal:

Many recent studies have found that the amount of vitamins in most vitamin pills is way too much and may actually increase rates of cancer and heart disease. After all if there is no way that you can get these larger amounts naturally in food, that should be a warning to you.

The whole article is at:
Vitamins, Less is More

Nothing funny about this chiropractic story

2005-01-13T04:17:00.000-08:00

Mostly I poke fun at the stupidity of alternative medicine and their followers but every now and then I learn of real tragedies and real victims where there is nothing funny about it.

Canadian Chiropractor Sued after Child Is Paralyzed

I found this article on Chirobase "Your Skeptical Guide to Chiropractic History, Theories, and Practices" I haven't fully explored the site but it seems interesting.
Chirobase

This story reminds me of a friend of mine. She was in a car accident and actually broke her neck with (I assume) a hairline fracture. Did she go to the emergency room! No.

She first went to a chiropractor! Can you believe it? She had been so convinced that "traditional medicine" had no solutions to pain. The guy yanked her neck this way and that, knowing full well she had been in a car accident! Now THAT quack should have been sued.

The 7-year-old cornflake.

2005-01-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

As a child, one of the first things I can remember hearing from the "health food" gang is that doctors have spotted seven-year-old cornflakes lodged in people's bowels!

While I don't hear that much, anymore, I often still hear all kinds of nonsense about our G.I. system getting "clogged up" and backing up toxins in our system. This leads to the sale of all kinds of goofy stuff from colonics to endless variations on fiber and "detoxification" remedies.

Humboldt University in Berlin did a study that injects some common sense to these claims by the "alternative medicine" gang.

Muller-Lissner and his colleagues address some of the notions about constipation in a report published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

They first debunk the myth that chronic constipation may lead to autointoxication from the absorption of poisonous substances backed up in the colon.

This belief was held even among the ancient Egyptians, according to an inscription dating back to the 16th century B.C., and in the early 20th century a famous London surgeon asserted that all chronic diseases result from autointoxication. Yet, there is no current evidence to support such a theory, write Muller-Lissner and his team, adding that some people continue to undergo regular "colon cleansing" with laxatives and enemas.

New Report Clears Up Myths About Constipation

also see

Gastrointestinal Quackery: Colonics, Laxatives, and More

Vitamins = poison

2005-01-09T03:20:00.000-08:00

Vitamins = poison

No.. of course not. Vitamins are good... essential. But like water, the right amount is good but too much can be deadly.

Here is an interesting article from Australia:

Users of vitamin and mineral supplements risk severe poisoning if they take too many capsules, the British food regulator has warned.

In a tough report that for the first time outlines probable overdose levels, it says side effects, ranging from bone weakness and stomach damage to cancer, are linked with such common supplements as vitamins A and C, zinc and iron.

Britain's Food Standards Agency says that in some supplements an overdose can occur with as little as double the daily recommended amount.

Deadly vitamin warning

So who are you going to trust? The British food regulator or the funky guy at the health food store who will gladly sell you big bottles and assures you they are safe?

By the way, when you read the article, don't miss this little zinger right at the end:

An obstetrician and gynaecologist, Alastair MacLennan, of the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, said doctors frequently encountered the consequences of unwise vitamin use.

"I'm aware of oral contraceptive pill failures from women taking vitamin C, which interferes with oestrogen metabolism," Professor MacLennan said.

When is Congress going to stand up to the vitamin industry lobbyists and regulate these pills?

Aquamarine at $575 is worth it, if it works

2005-01-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

I decided to poke around and see how much an Aquamarine would set me back. This is a nice one:

Big Aquamarine Loose Gem 19.12 TCW: "$575.00"

It would be money well spent if it cures me of my phobia of being ripped off by shysters.

Footnote those crystals.

2005-01-06T06:23:00.000-08:00

Of all the nutty alternative treatments out there, I have to say that crystals are the most annoying.

This page is so typical of the crystal people:

Crystals Healing: "Crystals"

Here is just one:

"AQUAMARINE:... Assists inspiration, favorable for travelers; helps to protect against accidents. Calms nervous tension. Calming effects of the sea. Used to help banish fears and phobias. Soothing and cleansing. Powerful aid to happiness in marriage. Light blue clear stone"

That's some good rock! But, I wish they would include a footnote with some research! Or, did they just fabricate these wild claims? I'll let you guess.

Read the page, though. It's funny, really.

Hey -- I'm open minded

2004-12-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

You might assume that I'm closed-minded about "alternative" treatments. For instance, I've always suspected that acupuncture was a bunch of nonsense. I mean, how the heck does it work?

But, here's a scientific double blind study on acupuncture and arthritis in the knee.

Newsweek article

This study indicates that it works! (in the knee, at least, for a while)

Great! I'll now be less skeptical about acupuncture. I think it should be further studied and, when proven, be adopted by medical doctors.

I still seriously doubt that acupuncture is the "heal all" often claimed and I REALLY doubt those charts linking a spot on the big toe to your spleen (or whatever).

My main point is that there is proven medicine and unproven treatments. The unproven treatments should be studied and proven before it is called medicine.

Gospel of Anti-Oxidants -- part II

2004-11-24T01:56:00.000-08:00

For years, nothing could be taken more as "fact" among the health food crowd than that "fact" of antioxidants.

But now, it looks like taking huge doses of antioxidants could do more harm than good! Even low dose supplements are of questionable value.

Antioxidants are still great... but the best way to get them? Good plain old food.

I think the vitamin industry should refund a whole lot of money.

----------
Antioxidant Supplements May Have Limited Value

Protection Against Disease May Be Best Derived From Healthy Diet

Nov. 22, 2004 -- Once widely considered a panacea for protecting against diseases associated with aging, antioxidant supplementation is increasingly under fire. Earlier this month researchers reported that taking vitamin E at high doses may do more harm than good. Now new research suggests that low-dose antioxidant supplementation is of only limited value.The whole article is at:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/97/104188.htm

Clueless about Chemo and Vitamins

2004-09-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here's another good argument for requiring that nurtritional supplements need to be declassified as "food" and tested like the drugs they really are:

Sept. 24, 2004 -- Vitamins and minerals may appear to be safe because they are sold as over-the-counter remedies. But a new study shows that vitamin supplements may affect chemotherapy -- for better or worse.

Patients may think supplements are safe because they're "natural" products, but there is growing evidence that they can intensify or weaken the effects of chemotherapy drugs, say the researchers.

With many supplements on the market, scientists don't yet know how each affects chemotherapy.

The whole WebMD article is at:

Vitamin Supplements May Affect Chemotherapy

Dangerous but still untested

2004-09-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

One of the most frustrating things to me is that "dietary" pills are generally perceived as safe.

After all, if the FTC thought they were dangerous, they'd never let us take them, right?
Wrong.

The FTC says clearly that dietary supplements can be dangerous. From the FTC website:

"The term "natural" may suggest to consumers that the supplement is safe, especially when compared with prescription drugs that are known to have side effects. But natural is not necessarily safe."
"Studies have shown that some herbal products interact with drugs and can have a wide range of effects.... Dietary supplements are not required to go through the same pre-market government review for quality, safety and efficacy as drug products"

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/health/suppquiz.htm

I see two very good reasons to test dietary supplements -- they can be dangerous and they are used medicinally.

I can think of one reason they aren't tested: lobbying by the alternative medicine industry.

What a difference a word makes:

2004-08-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

"Painreliefe.org" says on its front page:
http://www.painrelief.org.uk/

Tired of hurting? Magnetic therapy is a totally natural way to kill pain
quickly. Evidence suggests it will:
* Relieve your pain naturally and quickly
* Reduce Inflammation
* Restore your energy levels
* Increase blood circulation
* Supports the healing process
* Improves your quality of life

Buried in all those magical and miraculous claims of magnetic healing is that one little word, "suggests".
Well let me "suggest" this:

Despite the fact that there has been virtually no scientific testing of magnet
therapy, a growing industry is producing magnetic bracelets, bands, insoles,
back braces, mattresses, etc., and claiming miraculous powers for their
products. The magnet market may be approaching $150 million annually (Collie).

http://skepdic.com/magnetic.html

Dare I also "suggest" that some greedy people are ripping off some dumb people?

The Gospel of Antioxidants

2004-08-05T00:36:00.001-07:00

The value of antioxidants -- few things could be less disputed in the world of vitamin therapy. It's proven, right?

All Things considered ran a story on August 2 which is very revealing:
Heart Warning on Misuse of Antioxidants

The American Heart Association issues an advisory that taking antioxidant supplements has no preventive effect on heart disease and may be harmful in some cases. The association advises that people instead get the antioxidants they need from whole foods. NPR's Patricia Neighmond reports.
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3810779

So, we really should just eat whole foods! Who could have known?

Here's my free "natural" advice: Stop eating junk food. Start cooking for yourself -- especially lots of vegetables and foods with fiber.

Now, with the hundreds of dollars you save by NOT GOING to a naturopath, buy yourself a good pair of shoes and start walking every day.

Stop smoking, drink moderately, limit TV, reduce stress, get some fresh air, wash your hands, brush and floss.

But you knew this, didn't you?
--------
For more common-sense and free advice on antioxidants, check out this link:

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4452

Reflexology: 4,300 years old but more time needed

2004-07-23T22:59:00.000-07:00

In the recent edition of "Reflexology Across America" newsletter President Laura Aho Jodry explains that skeptics of Reflexology need more time because they are going through the "stages of acceptance."

Stage one is "Skeptics proclaim the idea is impossible because it violates the Laws of Science." (I have to confess that this is the stage I'm stuck on.)

OK, so how much time has Reflexology had to win us skeptics over? According to "A BRIEF HISTORY OF REFLEXOLOGY"

"In Egypt, in the physician's tomb (2300 B.C.) there can be found a pictograph which may be evidence of reflexology being applied."

OK, it's been over 4,000 years. Don't you think it's time for reflexology to "put up or shut up' with the proof? No -- according to Ms. Jodry -- we skeptics just need more time. How about another thousand years or so?

Relevent links:
Reflexology Across America
A BRIEF HISTORY OF REFLEXOLOGY

There is no alternative medicine.

2004-07-16T05:51:00.000-07:00

The National Council Against Health Fraud seems hopping mad that the "alternative medicine" industry has corrupted real medicine with its lobbying.

President Clinton set up White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy to finally set some standards but the results have been a total failure.

Read the report at NCAHF Position Statement on White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine

This passage caught my eye:
"There is no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data or unproven medicine, for which scientific evidence is lacking."

Reading this made me realize that even the term "alternative medicine" is bogus.

Either it's medicine or not. There is no "alternative" to proven and effective treatments. The only "alternative" is disproven, fraudulent or experimental treatments... but not medicine.

Peddling crap they don't know about.

2004-07-13T02:54:00.000-07:00

One of the problems of "alternative" medicine is that these quacks pretend to be health experts when -- in reality -- they know very little about what they are peddling.

Consumer Reports did an excellent article on the dangers of supplements, including real stories of victims.

Here is an excerpt from the article about Beverly Hames, age 59, of Beaverton, Ore:

PROBLEM Hames went to an acupuncturist in 1992 seeking a "safe, natural" treatment for an aching back. She got a selection of Chinese herbal products, at least five of which were later found to contain aristolochic acid. By mid-1994, she had symptoms of kidney failure, and in 1996 she underwent a kidney transplant. She must take anti-rejection drugs for life. The herbs’ distributor said his Chinese suppliers had substituted Aristolochia for another herb without his knowledge.

The distributor -- by its own confession -- was selling products but didn't know what they contained! Somebody should go to jail.

Check out the whole story at:
Dangerous supplements: Still at large

And don't miss this one:
Twelve supplements you should avoid

Chiropractic - put up or shut up

2004-07-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

Some of these "alternative" treatments have been around so long that it's about time that they put up or shut up. Thousands of practitioners, millions of patients and tens of millions of treatments.... yet it's all still a mystery.

Here is an excerpt from the forward of Chiropractic: The Victims Perspective

How sad, I thought, that chiropractors had practiced for seventy-five years without determining what they can effectively do. Although nearly twenty-five more years have passed since that thought first occurred to me, chiropractic has still not made a single noteworthy contribution to the scientific knowledge of health care.

The whole forward to the book is at: Chiropractic: The Victims Perspective

They've been using it in China for thousands of years... of course it is safe!

2004-06-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

One of the most irrational arguments among the herbal medicine crowd is "The Chinese have been using this for thousands of years... it is time-tested and springs from generations of folk wisdom. Therefore it is safe."

The WHO just issued a warning about alternative medicines and this line caught my eye:

It said that in China, there were 9,854 cases of adverse reactions were reported in 2002 alone, more than double the number registered during all of the 1990s.

Here's the full BBC article on the WHO report:

WHO warns on alternative medicine (BBC)

Never do a double-blind study!

2004-06-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting article about one of the funnier incidents in debunking alternative medicine.

Therapeutic Touch

Basically what happened was that some "Therapeutic Touch" therapists let their guard down and submitted to scientific scrutiny because the tester was a young girl.

Here is an excerpt:

"There is no scientific evidence that the "energy transfer" postulated by proponents actually occurs. It is safe to assume that any reactions to the procedure are psychological responses to the "laying on of hands.""

But here is a sad passage:

"Today's proponents state that more than 100,000 people worldwide have been trained in TT technique, including at least 43,000 health care professionals, and that about half of those trained actually practice it."

What are those 43,000 "professionals" thinking?

Natural is safe... right?

2004-06-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Wait a minute!?!? I thought everything natural was safe! Here is an excerpt from the CDC web site:

The totality of the available data showed little evidence of ephedra's effectiveness except for short-term weight loss, while confirming that the substance raises blood pressure and otherwise stresses the circulatory system. These reactions have been conclusively linked to significant adverse health outcomes, including heart ailments and strokes.

Ephedra, also called Ma Huang, is a naturally occurring substance derived from botanicals.

I wonder how many millions for poor suckers were duped by salespeople at health food stores with the bogus "natural is healthy" line?

Now, those poor dupes are fat AND have stressed hearts with an increased risk for stroke!

Consumer Alert:
FDA Plans Regulation Prohibiting Sale of Ephedra-Containing Dietary Supplements and Advises Consumers to Stop Using These Products

Read about one victim of the "natural" supplement industry:

Stroke Victim Who'd Taken Ephedrine Awarded Millions

Here is a quote:

The jury found the behavior of the company [E'Ola International] "outrageous" and said the product was labeled "all natural" -- even though it contained synthetic ephedrine in addition to herbal ephedra. The jury also found that the company was negligent because it didn't make changes to the product, even though state and federal authorities had found it could cause serious health problems, including strokes, the article says

Having MS attracts the flakes and shamans

2004-06-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

This is a good reflection piece on what it is like to have MS.

Multible Sclerosis Sucks

She starts with this quote:

"One interesting aspect of having MS is that you will begin to attract the most outlandish collection of crooks, shysters, con-artists, illusionists, delusionists, flakes, fakes, freaks, idiots, morons, weak-minded simpletons, cretins, shamans, Californians, health nuts, and nice intelligent well-intentioned compassionate people. "

When I've had difficult-to-treat illnesses the same happened to me! Even though some of these people were my good friends, their advice could be lethal.

http://multiplesclerosissucks.com/altmed.html