And Nothing Else Matters

Anyway....so, this whole topic of health came up again, and not the paying of it, that's a separate issue.

No, once again I was asked, in a roundabout way, whose side I'm on. I've been asked this more times than I can count, and I DON'T TAKE SIDES.

I think it's silly. No, it's absolutely ridiculous.

What sides? Those of modern and alternative medicine.

I utterly refute the concept that they should be opposed to each other. And I won't even be patient or tolerant with those who wholly embrace one and eschew the other.

What I want to see, is practitioners on both "sides" working together, sharing their experience, ideas, and research, and finding the best solution in each situation. Because to do anything else is stupid.

Look, what works, works. Isn't that what health care is supposed to be about, treatments and cures? Efficacy? Doesn't it make sense to do what works best, rather than shunning solutions that don't meet your agenda? I'm sorry (no, I'm not really) but that is just asinine.

Right now I see plenty of articles trashing "the other side", rebuttals, and just........... slagging off. This gets us nowhere. Calling people stupid for not following the same tactics as you do doesn't help anyone, this is as bad as the ad hominems in religious arguments. If a person has a strong belief in something, calling them names isn't going to do anything except antagonize them - no wonder the battle lines are drawn up.

I have had good health for most of my life, and I credit this to a combination of luck, genetics, and lifestyle choices. But shit happens. When my gall bladder became an issue I had surgery. Many people tried to talk me out of it, told me to drink milk thistle juice and olive oil. Indeed, my mother-in-law seems to have kept her gall bladder issues under control for over ten years doing just that, and power to her. One could deduce from this that it is a safe and effective alternative.

On the other hand, I had a friend who followed the alternative route and ending up in emergency surgery as she turned yellow from jaundice when bile from her gall bladder backed up into her liver. There is no place for milk thistle and olive oil then. It's time to cut you wide open, get it out, and clean it up, or you die. 

How do you know which it's going to be? You don't. It could go either way. I chose the "let's get it out the easy way" route and have not looked back.

Because you see it's all about what works. Nothing else matters. Pride is stupid. Even professional pride. If you have written books claiming that nobody needs modern medicine, for 20 years, and have staked your reputation on it, and then you need a life saving surgery, if you refuse it based on pride, that is your affair. Die proud then.

What I would object to is that you convinced others to do the same.

Or, if you reject and dismiss alternative remedies that actually do work, just because you are a doctor, you are equally a problem. You made a promise to heal. So heal. If that means that the correct prescription really should be something still considered alternative, swallow your pride and prescribe it.

But it doesn't stop there. Research is where it's at. Research funding should be available for everything, not just profitable drugs. We will not move forward if ideas are dismissed out of hand just because they don't suit the agenda. It's no secret that many pharmaceutical drugs have been developed from botanicals, so why not look at others?

The over prescription of antibiotics is a problem, the bacteria are becoming resistant. We were warned about this a long time ago but it was dismissed. Now it's a real issue. So when I was using garlic oil for my kids' ears 30 years ago, and being ridiculed, I was just doing what is now being recommended by doctors. Had we listened to the naturopaths on this occasion, we might not be in this situation. It was sensible advice.

I'll repeat myself to make a point. An effective remedy is an effective remedy is an effective remedy. The rest is details.

EDIT: Just remembered something. Talking of nonsense spoken by those with an agenda. I read an article suggesting that people should only eat NATIVE VEGETABLES. That is to say, vegetables that originate in the area where you live. Well, good luck with that North America. There is only one vegetable native to North America, and that only grows in the warmer parts, it is the artichoke. So if you hear of anyone recommending this, please remind them to do their research before such impossible recommendations.