Posted by ron1953 on October 1, 2004, at 10:30:56
In reply to My biggest rant to date., posted by partlycloudy on September 30, 2004, at 17:49:21
Sounds like voodoo medicine to me.
It's tough enough that most of us have no other choice but to experiment with our neurotransmitter systems, which physicians and scientists readily admit they don't understand. Seeing the different reactions patients have to the same medications clearly shows what an inexact science it is. But we do it anyway, in order to at least be functional.
When it comes to messing around with the immune system, I say WATCH OUT! I can cite many examples of how inexact this science is and how casually physicians prescribe meds. Fooling with Mother Nature is not to be taken lightly.
Alleged scientific advances are constantly refuted by later studies. Which study are we supposed to believe?
1) HRT was at first supposed to be a HUGE advancement. Yet, women survived menopause for thousands of years without it. A very recent study showed that HRT actually causes bone density loss.
2) A study I read about some time ago recommended against the time-honored practice of fever suppression for common diseases. It indicated that fever was part of the natural process of the body fighting off infection.
3) Statin drugs are given out like candy for prevention of cholesterol placque buildup. Yet these drugs have been cited by many studies to cause liver damage. I suspect that the statin drugs prescribed to my late father-in-law after his bypass surgery caused the liver cancer that killed him 5 years later.
4) During a routine exam of my son in his early teens, his doctor wanted to prescribe hormones because he had entered puberty "early" and was short. Her idea was to slow down his puberty so he would be taller. When my ex told me this, I was floored. We said "no way" - if his DNA was programmed for him to enter puberty "early" (like both parents) and to be short (like his dad), so be it. Why would we want to experiment with a perfectly healthy child? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. He's now a short but very healthy 23-year-old.
5) My ex was finally diagnosed with Lupus in the 90's, years after she had a few horrible flare-ups which were a complete mystery to her previous physician. She and I read everything about Lupus that we could get our hands on. The Rheumatologist wanted to prescribe a therapy of daily anti-malarial medication that was believed to control the syndrome. We decided against it because her case was episodic, not chronic. She had a few flare-ups over the next several years that were quickly stopped with Prednisone. Otherwise, she was perfectly healthy. 9 out of 10 Lupus patients are female, and one of the scientific beliefs was that Lupus often goes away at or around menopause. This apparently turned out to be true. My ex hasn't had a flare-up for at least 4 years.
I know this is a long-winded post but my belief is that we need to be educated and prudent before submitting ourselves to any therapy, especially those that are experimental, controversial or unproven.
poster:ron1953
thread:397395
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20041001/msgs/397834.html