Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine

[Chips]

So my neighbor has a PhD in ancient natural medicine and runs a spa, and has been asking me to try it out. I decided to give it a try it out this morning, and it started out by him looking into my eyes for "holes" and "lines". Holes can represent any sort of past medical problems and the amount of lines represents your stress level. After doing that I got acupuncture to fix these problems (I think? I'm not too sure what the acupuncture was for, really). He put a bunch of needles in me, then attached a machine to two of them that sent electricity through my body. I don't feel any different than I did an hour ago, so what does it do?

Do you guys believe acupuncture and ancient medicines actually works for things? Or is this just one big scam. Thoughts? Opinions?

[Amarok]

Hope you asked for the antidote.

[Chips]

Hope you asked for the antidote.

Oh no, my face is turning purple!

[Correction]

PhD in ancient natural medicine

From Harvard Medical, no doubt...

It's snake oil. But hey some people do feel better after they've spent shitloads of money. They don't like those cheap OTC pain relievers because by god if it's simple and done for pennies per treatment it just doesn't feel right.

[Chips]

PhD in ancient natural medicine

From Harvard Medical, no doubt...

It's snake oil. But hey some people do feel better after they've spent shitloads of money. They don't like those cheap OTC pain relievers because by god if it's simple and done for pennies per treatment it just doesn't feel right.

Obviously not Harvard, more like... Some European university.

[Zoot]

I believe that if you are active in a holistic lifestyle and know why you are doing the treatments and what the benefits of the natural ingredients actually are, it can be helpful. For instance, peppermint really can help stimulate your skin and lavender scent really can calm you. Integrative medicine does help your general overall health if practiced correctly.

If you are looking for a natural fix to a medical problem, I wouldn't recommend it unless there is no other alternative, or you want the novelty.

[Khamsin]

PhD in ancient natural medicine

Obviously not Harvard, more like... Some online university.

Fixed?

[Chips]

If you are looking for a natural fix to a medical problem, I wouldn't recommend it unless there is no other alternative, or you want the novelty.

I didn't do it for any reason other than he's my neighbor. lol

[MisterBob]

This stuff doesn't do anything. Some people think it helps, so they tend to feel better after "treatment". This is also known as the placebo effect.

[Zoot]

If you are looking for a natural fix to a medical problem, I wouldn't recommend it unless there is no other alternative, or you want the novelty.

I didn't do it for any reason other than he's my neighbor. lol

Haha, yea I gathered that. A lot of people look to natural medicine to fix an immetiate problem, though, which most of the time isn't the smartest idea.

There are some amazing long term benefits to practicing the medicine on your general health, such as good skin and longer life, as well as many immediate benefits of being familiar with the effects of essential oils, but many of these "remedies" are ploys to attract a gullible society willing to overpay for something with the stamp "natural" on it. Like diet pills or something equally as deceptive. If you walk into it blindfolded expecting to see results without any research, you're going to get a run for your money.

And actually, if you wiki any of these essential oils it will link you to research studies that have been done which show whether or not these ingredients have been proven to have any effect. If you do your homework you'll be less susceptable. But you have to want to do it, and know that your results aren't going to be witch tale miracles.

[crazyrabbit]

Natural medicine doesn't work as fast as taking pills. It's more a long-time treatment to get your body into ballance and just get more healthy. I actualy study natural medicine atm and there are some realy good ways to treat skin deseases and infections or side-symptoms of tumors. In germany more and more people go to natural doctors (dunno how to call it in english) because they think normal medicine is too expensive/only treats the symptoms or just dont like the way normal doctors handle their patients. Not much talking, not taking time for patient, just like an assembly line.

Ofcourse there are some more weird ways of natural treatment, like healing with earth energy or sound massage. But most of the time they can seriously help people and shouldn't be laughed at.

[Metah]

My sister is all into herbal medicine, etc. Since I got back from my trip to Japan in November, my eczema has been the worst its been since I was like 7. She suggested I take this all natural moisturizer and completely avoid milk and wheat because appearently they are known to cause eczema. So I've been doing this for two weeks+ now, and there has been literally zero improvement. It just makes me sad because I love pasta and chocolate and OH GOD EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD IS MADE OF MILK

[Pirian]

Both my parents, 4 uncles/aunts, and one of my sisters are all chiropractors. I only really know about my mothers practice, and from my experience, there has not been a single person that has come into her practice hurting and left feeling 50-100% better. She does a lot more than just Chiropractics though. She has a plethora of degrees and certifications which she incorporates into her Chiropractics and for all of my known life she has always been in the process of learning something new.
I only say all this to enphasize that it's not -just- one thing that is the answer. I highly believe in alternative medicine, and I say this having seen a very good friend battle with cancer from the age of 15 and only using modern medicine and is still dealing with the effects of chemo and complications to surgeries she had to have, and is still not completely cancer free. On the other side of that, an aunt of mine in her 50's and developed breast cancer. She is slightly overweight so by the time she found out she had the cancer it had already developed into larger tumors. She started right away on a combination of immune boosting and cancer targeting products my mother and her husband, one of my chiropractor uncles, recommended. After about 8 months of intense treatment with this she decided that if the cancer hadn't at least started retreating that she would start traditional medicine. Well when she got the mamograms the doctors found empty sacks where the tumors use to be and no signs of the tumors; it didn't spread and she's been cancer free for the past 3 years.

Medical doctors very rarely even acknowledge the fact that alternative medicines can and do help just as much, and in my experience, often better than traditional medicines. The human body, working at it's full potential, is better than any medicine. Many people just do not take care of themselves enough, and like tool that doesn't get used, it falls into disrepare.

[Chips]

My trainer for MMA is also a doctor, so when I see him tonight I'll definitely ask him what he thinks about this sort of thing.

[MisterBob]

If he's an actual doctor, he's going to say "fuck no", just an FYI.



The biggest danger with all of this herbal/natural stuff is the fact that it is not regulated by the FDA. There are so many dangerous compounds being sold to morons. For example, some diet herbal supplements have Ephedrine. Ephedrine WILL kill you over time, it is extremely damaging for your heart. Not to mention it doesn't actually help you lose weight in the long run.


Chiropractors are also a very dangerous practitioner to see. Even if you feel better upon initially leaving, this is often damaging to your back. (There is a reason that lawyers make a damn fortune off of Chiropractors, lol).


There are, of course, herbal remedies and such that are actually helpful in the long run, especially when it comes to making you feel better. However, generally they don't actually heal your symptoms (i.e., there's no herbal remedy for cancer, but it can make your treatment a bit more bearable).



tl;dr: Don't buy herbal supplements without extensive research, do not attend dangerous practitioners like Chiropractors without full-well being aware of the risks you're taking, and don't expect to be magically healed, you won't be.



And now I await the flames of the families/friends of these phony "doctors".

[Correction]

...

This one time I drank a coke and then lost a bet.
Then I switched to pepsi and won the next bet I made!

So obviously you shouldn't laugh at pepsi because you see that one time it helped me win a bet!

[Vuitton]

I believe the field is formally known as, "Alternative Medicine." AM includes several different types of practices including: Ayurveda, Chiropractic, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Osteopathy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I think your neighbor most likely practices naturopathy. Its used in most spas and spa clinics. You should ask him though!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturopathy

Naturopathic practice may include different modalities such as abstinence, acupuncture, colonic irrigation, counseling, chiropractic, diet, exercise, herbalism, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, environmental medicine, manual therapy, orthomolecular medicine and relaxation.

Here is a list of naturopathic medical schools accredited in North America by the U.S. Department of Education:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ac ... th_America

Bastyr University - Seattle, Wash.
Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine (BINM) - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) - Portland, Ore.
Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine & Health Sciences (SCNM) - Phoenix, Ariz.
University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine (UBCNM) - Bridgeport. Conn.

-----

This also reminds me of a Futurama quote from the episode about global warming due to robot exhaust.

Scientist: "I have a degree in homeopathy!"
Bender: "You have a degree in baloney!"

http://thepreacher.wordpress.com/2007/0 ... n-baloney/

I am one who agrees that "Alternative Medicine" such as naturopathy should not be labeled as science or accredited for 4-year degrees. I can see it as a 2-year degree at a trade school and it being practiced in spas.

You get your colon douched for anal sex in spas. Not the hospital.

[Halleberry]

AM works if you want it to work. One of the core principles of a good AM doctor is that all the things you need to live and be healthy were given to you at birth, or are in your natural environment. Considering the fact that humans, moreso americans, do not live naturally (all our synthetic foods and products that we put on or in our body accumulate over time and cause problems. Our spiritual mental and physical selves are all disconnected. All three have to be in synch for your body to run at optimum performance). Thats why they rely natural herbs and minerals as medicince, along with pressure points, and meditation to help the body heal and stay healthy. Its not some eat some plants and be cured, if it was that easy, we all would be immortal. Also if you do read about AM and hear some herb or mineral can cure so and so if taken regularly, becareful with that because herbs are medicine and just like conventional medicine, repeated and consisten use can render it useless or cause damage. The placebo effect is quite real, but placebo effect is what enables us to do great things. We all have seen the episode where the main character has a ball game and is giving special sports water to increase his performance and win for the team, when in truth it was just regular water. We we are supposed to learn from that is that the power to change you is in you, you just have to know you can. Positive thinking is really powerful, people dont give it enough credit. I am not saying you can heal from cancer just by thinking you can, but your body responds to what your mind tells it, and if you tell yourself and believe that this treatment is going to work and make you healthier, it will.

[Correction]

So basically what you're saying is the placebo effect is real?

[Pirian]

...

This one time I drank a coke and then lost a bet.
Then I switched to pepsi and won the next bet I made!

So obviously you shouldn't laugh at pepsi because you see that one time it helped me win a bet!

Here's another story for you: My mother was invited to Egypt by a wealthy family to practice for a month(We live in the US). Their reasoning was because in Egypt they have little alternative medicines, and because that family had been helped so much, they wanted to try and open the door a little, sort to speak. Well, while she was there she treated a young man whom had injured his knee slightly, he was still able to walk fine, and the doctor he saw recommended him to have surgery done to try and fix it. Well the surgery didn't work so the young man went to Europe to try and get better treatment. While there, doctors injected a radioactive isotope to try and find the cause of the problem but they never sorted the issue out. By the time the young man saw my my mother he was in a wheel chair and his leg was hugely swollen and completely useless. After seeing my mother for 2 weeks the young man's leg was completely unswollen and he could even walk on it.

As with any profession, there are those who are know how to do it and those that just have a piece of paper that says they know how to do it. To make assumptions about a whole profession because some of the practitioners are faulty is idiotic and ignorant. I don't know about the rest of my family, but neither my mother, father, nor sister(granted she has not been in practice as long) have ever had any law suits brought up against them. Also, you say it as if law suits brought up against medical doctors is a rare thing.