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Alternative con artists

J

jpr3323

Member
Messages
6
Type of diabetes
Type 2
All "alternative" treatments are a con. The only results are placebo effect. The vtamin industry is part of the giant drug industry as is the "holistic" thereapy people.
Anybody spending money on any of these tricks, in fact everybody, should read "Bad Science" by Ben Goldacre., it will open your eyes.
 
Me, I think there is a heck of a lot of Bad Science in orthodox medicine too (and some good), so I am equally willing to accept that there is a heck of a lot of good genuine people involved in alternative medicine, as well as the bad apples.

Kind of like life, really.

Mod edit to remove reference to another member.
 
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Don't you think the placebo effect is amazing? If someone's brain can be prompted to heal their body - wow! That's so much better than dangerous drugs every time, that's 100% natural healing. Awesome. What I think is truly dreadful is that the medical authorities don't try to harness this miracle and use it.

In my experience most people use orthodox medicine first and only turn to alternatives when they get no answers or solutions to their problems. That's certainly what I did. I was sceptical at first but my health is important so when NHS doctors draw a blank with me I will try anything that may help. Some of it has helped, some hasn't - just like orthodox medicine.
 
Don't care if its placebo or not .. if it works I will give it a go with an open mind ... hate the Cr** the Dr doles out .. so what am I left with .. I only take my heart failure meds now, the rest is sorted out without prescription .. like diet and the odd cherry tabs for my gout ...
 
jpr3323 said:
All "alternative" treatments are a con.
Click to expand...

Don't entirely agree with that statement.

Several years ago I had a back issue that couldn't be resolved by physio despite several visits, so went privately to see a chiropractor who brought about instant relief, I can assure in this instance it wasn't the 'placebo effect'
 

Just seen a TED talk from him.

Kinda like a "thinking man's" Russel Howard..
But I see where your coming from. I see some drugs & indeed some "alternative" stuff merely as "solutions" to problems inadvertently started in other industry sectors..

I have a therory for instance regarding "vaping" replacing smoking.? Possibly years down the line there will be autopsies on people who vaped all their life & it turns out when the lungs are opened they have some of the tell tale signs of a "drowning" victim..?
But what do I know....!?!

 
Agree. When you think about it, many of our modern medicines were once deemed to be witchcraft or ju-ju, Metformin, Digoxin, Aspirin, just a few that come to mind. Penicillin, insulin, are others not quite so obvious as having natural sources and also quacks promoting them (Banting, Fleming et al)

So I too take a bi-valent approach to alternatives. Having found 2 clear candidates that I now use and which have allowed me to reduce my harmful medication by 50% I do not condemn all claims so off handedly.
 
@Jaylee You might find 'the muco-ciliary escalator' assistive to lessen the drowning.
Of course, it could be easily damaged or overpowered.
Seriously, I too am interested in the necroscopic report of long term 'vapours,' I think it may be very interesting.
 
Started using a combination of ayurvedic and Chinese medical ingredient used in diabetic treatment and it works for me (50% reduction in insulin use) plus inexpensive, balsam pear and fenugreek can be found in any Asian/ Indian store.
 
findo said:
Started using a combination of ayurvedic and Chinese medical ingredient used in diabetic treatment and it works for me (50% reduction in insulin use) plus inexpensive, balsam pear and fenugreek can be found in any Asian/ Indian store.
Click to expand...
I'm also trying Ayurvedic medicine for an adrenal problem, too soon to tell if it's working yet.

Edit: Since both Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine were around long before modern medicine. I am wondering whether modern medicine should actually be the one called the alternative medicine?
 
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Research has found that prescribed drugs also have a placebo effect which is in addition to the physiological effects of the drug itself. Injections tend to have a stronger placebo effect than pills, and the colour of the pills affects how strong the placebo effect is.

Some medics have wanted to harness the placebo effect without exposing their patients to drug side-effects but didn't want to deceive their patients. It was thought that if patients knew they were being given a placebo, it wouldn't work. However, there was a study which suggested that placebos still worked even if the patients knew they were getting a placebo:- http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0015591

There was a study which investigated the use of placebos by GPs:- http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/03March/Pages/97-percent-of-GPs-admit-prescribing-placebos.aspx

There's a few fun facts about placebos here:- http://qi.com/infocloud/placebos
 
I am not sure what is meant by "alternative" tbh. Alternative to big pharma treatments maybe?

Today I have taken turmeric mylk which helps with my diabetes control and my daughter used a face mask she made from oats for her eczema. They both work but perhaps they are not of any interest to the medical industry as the ingredients can be bought for coppers in Tesco.
 
Well, living on the equivalent of rabbit food (because of med lical probs) I am grateful for alternative meds like vit pills.

I got proof vit D works in liquid form... My hubby accidentally been gining me 3 drops in my tea each day instead of 2. My levels sre too high 175!!! And this is with not going out very much at all for past year.

My magnesium, calcium and everything that I have taken is alao very good.

As I have less than 10% of needed vitamins daily (except A, B and E) I am grateful that I analyse all my foods and take extra appropriately.

Only exception was iron which showed up low, prob as I cannot eat meat. Now I will take a liquid form of this that won't cause more stomach probs.

I am also convinced that frankincense oil and jojoba oil being rubbed on chest after Mx is helping, but no proof of that unless it comes back and proves me wrong..... However I am convinced the lumps n bumps on my one boob left have disappeared since using it. Of course, it could be any reason and could be placebo effect.

I know I have intolerances to a lot of the NHS drugs with aspartame in and certain drugs of theirs with bindings. If I buy "purer" options like liquid vit D or capsules or liquids then I do not have the side effects.
 
findo said:
Started using a combination of ayurvedic and Chinese medical ingredient used in diabetic treatment and it works for me (50% reduction in insulin use) plus inexpensive, balsam pear and fenugreek can be found in any Asian/ Indian store.
Click to expand...
I found that Balsam Pear (Bitter Melon) worked for me, but had gastric side effects that detracted from its benefits. But I did reduce my bgl by using just a single daily capsule However, changing diet to LCHF had a bigger effect.

I am now using Gymnema Sylvestre to good effect, and have now dropped my dose of Gliclazide from 4 to virtually 1 a day. Just having a minor hypo after taking only 1 GS tonight. BGL of 3.4 just now.
 
I disagree that they're all a con. I was recommended to see a complementary practitioner - by my doctor - and, even though I had no confidence that it would work, it did.

I can assure you that that wasn't because I believed in it - quite the opposite actually, as I honestly thought it wouldn't work.
 
The only thing about any alternative therapy that I have found so difficult is "mindfulness" for pain... Thinking of fluffy clouds or a beach etc.. That I find extremely difficult... However, when at therapy centre we had to do relaxation from feet upward. It worked totally. I had fell asleep by the time it got to tips of fingers...

Just can't think of fluffy clouds or thinking of bubbles and texture of them whilst washing up...I see the reasoning to take mind off everyday thoughts and retrain brain around pain, but I can't get my head thinking how wonderful the texture us of bubbles when washing up...
 
I find it easier to be mindful about the washing up in the dishwasher, @donnellysdogs .
The humming noise it makes and the knowledge that I don't need to get my hands wet is so beneficial to a meditative state.

But, seriously, meditation is so much better than meds to control pain or stress/anxiety.
 
Never hsd a bubble bath? Or had champagne bubbles go up the nose? or chased bubbles down the street when a kid? blowing big soap bubbles in the bath? Or covering your hair in bubbles when washing your hair as a kid?

Mind over matter has a reality that many use to combat distress, so I do not knock it. But it can seem to be snake oil for some. As an aged hippy I have used such techniques to good advantage.

Edit to add Update: this year I had two heart attacks that left me breathless and gasping for air, My sugar levels went through the roof because I was having an adrenaline surge due to anxiety, and my insulin resistance prevented it from doing its stuff to bring bgl down, My bgl was off the meter.

While I was in cardio resus, I used mindfullness to reduce the adrenaline levels, Soon my bgl came down and I started functioning as a human again. Since all my meds were stopped, and I was not being given insulin even though my glucose levels were so high, I escaped DKA, and my bgl dropping was proof that I was indeed awash with insulin at the time, and that it worked eventually. Mindfullness certainly helped me control my breathing too so my heart fell back into line as well and it all worked out in the end.
 
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Believe it or not. I find focusing on an imaginary pyramid with a light at the apex which takes up about 2/3rds of my field of vision..

Except when I got a tattoo done.. I which case, I just ran the opening bass line from Iron Maiden's wrathchild through my head for an hour...
 
I think there's a big difference between tried and tested alternatives medicines and therapies and the con artists who now abound on the web and are usually just out to make a quick buck out of their gullible and possibly desperate customers. (Though some of them are probably just as bad and looking for a quick and lazy solution to their problems ...)

Robbity
 
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