And.........the average age of death of an MD is 53. Now attack me on averages. Doctors are not the healthiest of men or women. But my father, who was a Naturopathic Physician, is still alive, extremely healthy, looks 70 maybe, and is 87. His only concerns are his eyesight and his hearing. I take him to an MD for checkups, twice a year, and they all say his heart, cholesterol, and blood pressure are of a man in his 40's, and they just shake their heads. He will live to be 100, I think.
JW's & alternative medicine
by slipnslidemaster 68 Replies latest jw friends
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RedhorseWoman
Mulan, your post reminds me of an experience my husband had with a naturopathic physician many years ago.
Shortly after we got married, my husband developed a prostate infection. He was hospitalized for a time and put on antibiotics. They didn't work--in fact, he developed an allergic reaction to them--and the infection began to back up into his kidneys.
The medical doctors were seriously considering prostate surgery for him because nothing else was working.
We heard about a naturopath who had formerly been a regular MD and who had been shunned by the regular medical community because his ideas and treatments did not follow the strict allopathic regimen. He had a good reputation, so we decided to take a chance.
When we visited him, he was 81 years old and looked to be in his 50s. He was still active both mentally and physically (in fact his favorite hobby was motocross, and he was planning to take his dirtbike out later that weekend).
The simple, natural treatments he suggested worked both quickly and effectively. In fact, my husband's doctors were quite amazed at the rapid improvement he made. Needless to say, surgery was avoided.
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slipnslidemaster
I am so proud! This is my first topic to get over 3 pages and counting and been read 519 times so far!!
This AND I made Master last week!! Yea me!!
Slipnslideius Masterus: Strength and Honor ...
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SixofNine
Slipnslidemaster, I like your name. Any special significance?
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slipnslidemaster
hehehe...
Come to think of it, I like your's too!
Slipnslidemaster:Doin' the humpty hump...just doin' the humpty hump...
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waiting
hey slipe,
I am so proud! This is my first topic to get over 3 pages and counting and been read 519 times so far!!
Made me smile - thank you.
Now, as to the topic - I take the *Middle of the Road* - there's good to be said for many medical/herb treatments. People get sick & die, people get well & live.
As for doctors/practioners practcing their own advice & schooling - no more than the average person. I believe the old adage "Do as I say, not as I do" comes into play. We're primarily responsible for ourselves, which would include trying to learn & investigate on our own from a variety of sources.
I used to buy herbs from a local practioner/jw who had quite a business doing such. He said he'd cured people of cancer, etc., and that Bethel sent some people down here for him to treat. Did fine until I got a bad batch - didn't come near dying, but, Gawd, did I have incredible stomach pains for a couple of days - flat on my back in bed. I asked him the possibility of getting a bad batch, he said that was impossible as it was herbs.
Shortly thereafter, I went to a medical internist specialist for same stomach problems the practioner/reflexology/colon cleansing jw was treating me for. The internist medical opinion on getting a bad batch of anything was "Hell, yes!" That's why drugs etc., are tested by the government to be quality controlled because nothing is perfectly controlled - even natural products (and he added that the government slips up to). And he also added that having high colonics & mixing herbs can be dangerous, because if a bacteria is introduced into the system, the infection is so deep in the body - it'd be extremely hard to get rid of.
Sooooo, I still take herbs and medicine. I still go to doctors and the health food store and I still self medicate way too much (chocolate mostly).
I think there's a place for both sides of the discussion - but I think as jw's - we swayed too fast to the natural products without information.
waiting
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slipnslidemaster
Don't get me wrong. I take St. Johns and Potassium and a complete (4 pills) vitamin set.
I believe in acupuncture and pressure points, etc.
Slipnslidemaster:Doin' the humpty hump...just doin' the humpty hump...
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XJWBill
One very wise man said "There are three main lies: statistics, statistics, and statistics."
Actually, the quotation, possibly from Mark Twain, is:
"There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."
Bill
"If we all loved one another as much as we say we love God, I reckon there wouldn't be as much meanness in the world as there is."--from the movie Resurrection (1979)
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slipnslidemaster
Come on!! We can get 4 pages with this topic?!??!?! Please??!!?
Slipnslidemaster: Doin' the humpty hump...just doin' the humpty hump...
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Introspection
Well lets see, first things first.. One thought I didn't see from anyone before this argument over the best health care system came up is that it is likely the average witness has a degree of mental dis-ease, and it is all too easy to look for material solutions in the form of a pill to solve these. I can say that this was essentially the case for me.
Unfortunately "alternative medicine" is kind of like the word nice, it's just not very informative. Of course, the implication is that it includes all alternatives to mainstream medicine, and quite frankly that includes quite a bit. I find it interesting to note that in the area of religion/spirituality JWs have very little freedom of choice, whereas in medicine and health there are no specific rules, so what does that tell you? If you have a dis-ease, you are going to look for some kind of solution. Now to the tangent...
Regarding what is "proven" to work, I think first we need to distinguish between a treatment modality (such as chirpractic, nutrition/herbal medicine, acupuncture etc) and a health care system. I believe that the MAIN problem isn't the modality employed, (though limiting yourself to just one is, well limiting) but rather a matter of poor conceptual framework in how they are employed. I believe in an integral, functional approach which uses all available treatment modalities WHERE APPROPRIATE.
I recall one quote from my statistics textbook, unfortunately I don't know the source but it said: "Most people uses statistics as a drunken man uses a lamp post - for support rather than illumination."
Now Larc, if I didn't know better I'd say your point about the difference in average life span was a straw man argument, because there is a difference between life expectancy and health or overall quality of life. However, the fact is there are simply too many variables to consider. Modern China is hardly a reflection of the ancient culture which developed these treatment modalities. And if we consider the psyche of the average Chinese, (I should think I have some insight there for I am one) especially those under the current communist regime, I think that you'll find individual lives aren't worth as much over there as it is here, it is very much a contrast to the individualistic culture we have here, and those things no doubt all play a part in the statistics of life expectancy. What is more, it goes back to my point about the difference between the effectiveness of treatment modalities and health care system. You may have some very workable treatment methods, but if the delivery system is poor, (or say if the people are poor..) you won't see the effects on a large scale simply because people aren't getting good care, not because the tools they have are not effective. Anyways, I trust that the point is clear.
Nevertheless, I think what supporters of eastern medicine recognize as a strength but often fail to articulate is that it is a systemic approach. Unfortunately, although we have made great advances in scientific allopathic medicine, it is hard to treat the body (or the human organism for that matter) as a coherent whole because of the number of specialists involved. Here is where we tend to see an emphasis on pathology rather than health. So again, I emphasize the point that there needs to be some integral effort. After all, it isn't a matter of "my medicine can beat up your medicine", or how strong our weapons against micro-organisms are, (host susceptability must be taken into consideration) but the point of the whole endeavor is to achieve better health. For that matter, I refer back to the quote about statistics, lets be open to understanding rather than defend a fixed position.