On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:34:26 -0700, wrote in response: Mike Palij had written. >>Scientific "types"? Are you being Jungian or merely stereotypical? > >Stereotypical of course. But not merely. There is some truth in them >thar stereotypes
Careful. It is not the truth in stereotypes but the falsehoods and the misrepresentations embedded in them that one should be aware of and guard against. Stereotypes come with a lot of bagage. I recommend you travel light. >>If the decisions that a person only affects that person, then maybe, I >>emphasize maybe, your position is tenable. The problem is that unless >>a person is a hermit and has no contact other people, their medical >>decisions will affect others. The hermit would also have to be rich, so >>that foolish medical choices which result in increased illness do not >>affect either health insurance premiums and the costs of running >>hospitals and other components of the health system. > >I think the article was more about someone in the hospital getting proper >medical treatment plus some mumbo-jumbo. Not that the mumbo-jumbo >was replacing the treatment. I think this is probably the most common pursuit >of alternate therapies. As indicated in the article that Marie Helweg-Larsen provided, the term "complimentary medicine" is used to refer to alternative treatments when used in conjunction with standard treatment regimens. The term "alternative treatments" when used when such treatments are used instead of standard treatments. As shown in the article, the case of Leslee Flasch who had cancer but chose to postpone standard treatment in favor of alternative herbal/etc. treatment. By the time she realized that the alternative treatment wasn't working, the cancer progressed to an advanced stage where even standard treatments can't provide much help. Catching such illnesses early is a critical factor in their effective treatment. Postponing standard treatment in favor of an alternative treatment is a real danger. It should also be pointed out that the additional cost to the health system and insurance is because people using alternative treatment postpone getting standard treatments early. As the disease progresses, it become much more costly to treat, especially if "heroic" means are employed. >With regard to cost: I think health insurance premiums are primarily >increased not by people wanting alternative medicine (for which they have to >pay), but by people making choices on lifestyles which condone things like >sedentary lifestyle, smoking, drinking, getting obese, taking unnecessary >risks, and the weanies that go to the emergency department every time they >have a cough, etc. If by lifetyle choice you mean seeking alternative medicine treatment like laertrile (see: http://alternativecancer.us/laetrile.htm ) or herbal treatments as in the case of Ms. Flasch instead of the standard treatment, then, yes, I agree, lifestyle choice do increasee insurance premiums and other costs because people may turn to standard treatments too late. >>Of course, the best example of why one needs to be wise with their medical >>treatment is because a number of illnesses are transmittable. Sexually >>transmitted diseases (STDs) affect about 19 million people in the U.S. each >>year (that is, new cases) and most people have no clue about how to deal >>them. > >Again, I think most people who look to alternative medical treatments are >not make an "either or choice" but an "in addition to" choice. Really? What is the empirical basis for this statement? Which health surveys or studies are you relying upon? >>Even HIV/AIDS which has garnered so much attention over the past few >>decades is subject to misunderstanding and claims for "cures" for AIDS are >>still promoted, for example see: A person who goes for a "natural cure" for >>AIDS and continues to be sexually active is a risk not only to themselves but >>to others as well. > >Ah, yes. The standard AIDS/Cancer response. Little more than fear mongering. Non sequitur. A person with an HIV infection who is sexually active and does not engage in "safer sex" is very likely to spread the disease. If you have evidence to contrary, I'd like to examine it. People who mistakingly believe that there is a cure for AIDS and take the "cure" will continue to infect others if they do not engage in appropriate preventive measures. >There is no "standard" cure for aids either. No, there isn't but current treatment regimens have increased the average life expectancy of people with AIDS. Prior to current treatments, it took an average of 10 years for AIDS to develop after HIV infection. With the onset of AIDS, life expectancy was on the order of 1-2 years. With the introduction of HAART and other treatments in 1996, life expectancy for people with AIDS has increased dramatically as reported in a study in the Lancet (see: Hogg, R. The Lancet, July 26, 2008; vol 372: 273-299.) A brief article based on this study is available at the following website: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=91332 Today, a 20-year old infected with HIV has a life expectancy that is at least 13 years longer because of the new treatments. >Being sexually active with any active STD is irresponsible regardless >of the treatment one is seeking. Yes, but it is more irresponsible when one mistakingly thinks that an unvalidated "cure" has gotten rid of their STD and continues to infect others. >>If "alternative medicine" provides benefits equivalent to placebo, >>wouldn't it be better to determine what makes for the most effective >>and cheapest placebo? That is, if we're not really serious about >>understanding the disease process, how to best treat it, and related issues. > >No. It would be better to give the patient the placebo of their choice. Let me see if I understand you correctly: instead of trying to understand that nature of the disease, its course, and what might be effective treatments to it, you'd rather give people the "placebo of their choice"? That's what they used to do in the 19th century. -Mike Palij New York University [email protected] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
