Alternative medicine strikes again

Just to offer an alternative opinion on this thread for a little balance, although I doubt it'll be popular because I'm not very conventional. :P

One type of treatment isn't going to work for everyone as there are many factors involved and everyone is different. But to say this and other alternative therapies don't work is naive in my opinion, because they can and do work with plenty of people who can testify to that. Why are those people not reported on in the mainstream media? Well, you'd have to do your own research into that, but it's not because they don't exist.

Take a look into how many people die due to conventional chemo therapy rather than the actual cancer itself - yet apparently because that's supposedly the only real viable conventional option medicine can offer then that's seen as worth the risk.

After the billions spent on cancer research, the years looking into this and the number of people searching for cures and treatments, is chemo really the best we can come up with as a species to treat and cure cancer, seriously - does no one find that even slightly odd?
Do we honestly believe cancer is that hard to figure out?

The key issue here is profit; if there were cheap and readily available cures for cancer, do you think the drug industry would want people to know that, of course not, it's bad for business to make people fit and well at a low cost. As harsh and unbelievable as that sounds to most normal well-adjusted people out there (it's a struggle to believe - I get that), unfortunately the mistake made here is putting yourself in that position. Of course you'd do the right thing if you discovered cheap and effective cures, unfortunately however there are powerful people and industries out there that couldn't give a monkeys about people's well-being, it's money and a good supply of customers they care about.

But surely you may say - the Drs would realise this and wouldn't stand for that? The Drs go by what they're told and taught in medical schools and by conventional journals and monitored/sponsored peer testing and trials - those that do discover or point point out alternatives are quickly put down and ostracised by their peers, it's by design and has been going on for decades.

It doesn't take many examples of what happens to a professional health practitioner's peers that 'break the norm' before others in the same industry realise that if they want to keep their successful careers, they better sing to the same (conventional) hymn sheet.

As wonderful and simple as it is to say "if there were cheap and effective cures like this everyone would have it and my Dr would be prescribing it already" - while perhaps comforting, like an Ostrich burying it's head in the sand, it's not the reality here.

It's not all goodness and light out there in the medical and media industries, but you need to do some research yourself, rather than blindly dismissing alternatives because it doesn't fit what the BBC news and conventional medicine tells you is possible or not - review a broader spectrum of sources to get a more accurate picture.

I don't blame people for dismissing the above point of view; the public - as the familiar saying goes - are treated like mushrooms: fed crap and kept in the dark.

Just try and keep an open mind, as history teaches, conventional opinion and theories often turn out to be completely wrong, but if you wall yourself in and dismiss things because they're a little different or not the norm at the time, then you're limiting yourself and your options.
 
If alternative medicine worked companies would alter it enough to be patentable and sell it. The argument that it's not profitable isn't a great one.


If cancer wasn't that hard to figure out do we believe the non profits wouldn't have found a cure by now?
 
One type of treatment isn't going to work for everyone as there are many factors involved and everyone is different. But to say this and other alternative therapies don't work is naive in my opinion, because they can and do work with plenty of people who can testify to that. Why are those people not reported on in the mainstream media? Well, you'd have to do your own research into that, but it's not because they don't exist.

You're going to need some better evidence than people testifying it worked. People will testify they were abducted by aliens and met Elvis.

Take a look into how many people die due to conventional chemo therapy rather than the actual cancer itself - yet apparently because that's supposedly the only real viable conventional option medicine can offer then that's seen as worth the risk.

After the billions spent on cancer research, the years looking into this and the number of people searching for cures and treatments, is chemo really the best we can come up with as a species to treat and cure cancer, seriously - does no one find that even slightly odd? Do we honestly believe cancer is that hard to figure out? ?

Yes it really is that hard. Cancer cells are your own bodies cells, killing them but not you is a pretty difficult task.

The key issue here is profit; if there were cheap and readily available cures for cancer, do you think the drug industry would want people to know that, of course not, it's bad for business to make people fit and well at a low cost. As harsh and unbelievable as that sounds to most normal well-adjusted people out there (it's a struggle to believe - I get that), unfortunately the mistake made here is putting yourself in that position. Of course you'd do the right thing if you discovered cheap and effective cures, unfortunately however there are powerful people and industries out there that couldn't give a monkeys about people's well-being, it's money and a good supply of customers they care about.

Conspiracy theory nonsense. A lot if not most of cancer research is done by not for profit organisations and academia.

But surely you may say - the Drs would realise this and wouldn't stand for that? The Drs go by what they're told and taught in medical schools and by conventional journals and monitored/sponsored peer testing and trials - those that do discover or point point out alternatives are quickly put down and ostracised by their peers, it's by design and has been going on for decades.

Again this is largely nonsense. Doctors are taught to appraise evidence, from all sources. Have you any experience of medical training? Or just pulled this out of the air?

It doesn't take many examples of what happens to a professional health practitioner's peers that 'break the norm' before others in the same industry realise that if they want to keep their successful careers, they better sing to the same (conventional) hymn sheet.

Again just CT rubbish. Any examples of Doctors that have been ostracised?

As wonderful and simple as it is to say "if there were cheap and effective cures like this everyone would have it and my Dr would be prescribing it already" - while perhaps comforting, like an Ostrich burying it's head in the sand, it's not the reality here.

And again. If you find a cheap and effective cure for cancer, of any type, you'd be a hero overnight.

It's not all goodness and light out there in the medical and media industries, but you need to do some research yourself, rather than blindly dismissing alternatives because it doesn't fit what the BBC news and conventional medicine tells you is possible or not - review a broader spectrum of sources to get a more accurate picture.

Why not link to some of those sources?

Just try and keep an open mind, as history teaches, conventional opinion and theories often turn out to be completely wrong, but if you wall yourself in and dismiss things because they're a little different or not the norm at the time, then you're limiting yourself and your options.

Problem is desperate people are vulnerable and will buy any old tosh. So there is a real danger in peddling this nonsense.

Take this example as a random google result:

http://thehomeopathiccollege.org/cancer-treatment/homeopathy-effective-cancer-treatment/

In a 2007 research review entitled The Evidence: Scientific Studies on Homeopathic Cancer Treatment published in The American Homeopath we concluded:
“homeopathic drugs have proven biological action in cancer; in vitro and in vivo; in animals and humans; in the lower, as well as in the higher potencies. Cancer patients are faced with a life-and-death decision when choosing their treatment. Since most conventional treatments continue to be associated with severe adverse and sometimes fatal effects, while homeopathy has been found to be free from such effects, it would seem plausible and worthwhile, even urgent, to step up the research on, and even the provision of, homeopathic treatment of cancer and other diseases.”

"Homeopathic treatment of cancer is so effective that this fact can no longer be hidden from the public."


This is suggesting using water to treat cancer.
 
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More to the point, it's not viable in a way that makes it a practical medical procedure.

You're saying that as if it was a true statement, it is used as treatment in Russia and associated countries.

If you're dying of antibiotic resistant bacteria in this country and you've run out of options you can with the help of about £5k travel to Georgia (the country below Russia) and give it a go: http://www.mrsaphages.com/staphylococcus-treatment/

That's after sending samples to see if they can help.

Like I say, I wish it was more supported here.
 
Now now, Alternative medicine has been proven to work, remember when Steve Jobs got treatable cancer and decided to have crystal-therapy instead of radio/chemo-therapy? I forgot what happened but we still have iPhones so it must have turned out okay...
 
I don't blame people for dismissing the above point of view; the public - as the familiar saying goes - are treated like mushrooms: fed crap and kept in the dark.

I get this argument, but let's be clear, facts are not outweighed by alternative thinking or differing opinion for most people and to suggest that's a closed mind is wrong. It's more that it's bull...
 
Now now, Alternative medicine has been proven to work, remember when Steve Jobs got treatable cancer and decided to have crystal-therapy instead of radio/chemo-therapy? I forgot what happened but we still have iPhones so it must have turned out okay...

A colleague of mine had the same problem as Jobs, at the same time, in the same location, treated by the same doctors in the same hospitals. I have had this story played back to me with real detailed insights to what was going on and it's scary. My colleague is in remission as he followed the medical process (and was lucky...so far) Jobs died due to some frankly crazy things.
 
A colleague of mine had the same problem as Jobs, at the same time, in the same location, treated by the same doctors in the same hospitals. I have had this story played back to me with real detailed insights to what was going on and it's scary. My colleague is in remission as he followed the medical process (and was lucky...so far) Jobs died due to some frankly crazy things.

Your colleague is a very lucky person. Hope that their recovery continues.
 
The amount of diet pseudoscience I read on the internet is staggering...

All these so called "health/diet bloggers" for example come to mind.

I really just wish there was a governing body which fact checked and verified claims. I know it'd be a ridiculous task... then punish those who post intentionally misleading information.

They know they're doing it, they just don't care.

"She says Young "discovered that eating a plant-based diet free from processed foods can help to cure terminal diseases in the body"" utter moron... then of course the predictable

"She adds that his work is not recognised by the medical industry, "perhaps because giant pharmaceutical organisations wouldn't be able to make money out of doctors prescribing vegetables"" yeah of course big pharma and the voodoo magic they are using on us all!!1!!

But i'll charge your 500 big ones for intravenous baking soda....

Seriously, dude needs to just be locked up.
 
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It also doesn't help that our current incumbent health secretary (the Rt. dishon. Jeremy Hunt) and our next monarch in-line (Charley) are strong believers in homeopathy and alternative rubbish. When you have high profile individuals extolling the virtues of this quackery, it's easy to see why some members of the public believe it works.
 

You say keep an open mind but discount the effort put forth by thousands of the top professionals over years of cancer research by a number of separate bodies in different countries?

There is no big conspiracy on cancer cure being found but not put forth. If you think altering a few truths and selecting what is taught at university has prevented the cure for cancer from being found, i would expect you have never known anyone that has been in any form of research and you greatly underestimate the tasks researchers undertake as well as the abilities of the researchers themselves.

As for the big spending on cancer, that is as much down to corrupt charities only having fractions of spending go towards the research itself and most towards 'managing and administrating'. That said, if you have absolutely no idea what researching a cure for cancer entails, then how can you find it odd that the money hasnt bought us a cure?

You seem to suggest the price for the cure is less than what has been donated so far, can you offer us an incite to how much a cure should cost us if the governments/lizardmen/aliens were allowing us to correctly spend the money?

I dont doubt big Pharma hinder some areas of medicine using business politics but cures are not ignored.

The reason why these alternative medicines are still alternative are because no proof of it working is given. There is no proper medical theory that can be proven, nor does unbiased statistical suggest that these medicines work more than a placebo.

I hope you are fair on anyone you are responsible for and only apply your belief of alternative medicine to yourself, rather than burden children and pets with your ignorance in medicine if you do practice homeopathy and the like.
 
I belong to a throat cancer group n FB and the amount of miracle cures seemingly all backed up by doctors all coming out of the USA that pops up in the group is staggering. The last one was a fruit who's scientific name was miracle fruit which seemingly did wonders for damaged taste buds a common side effect of radiation treatment in the throat area.
Unfortunately there are far to many gullible folks taken in by this sort of rubbish, perhaps gullible is not the right word, given the treatment for this cancer can lead to horrendous side effects and anything that holds out hope to some people is worth a try.
 
Medicine in this country is taken a little more seriously it seems. Luckily having a Phd in fictitious medicine studies does not make you a Dr of medicine over here. We also lack the full fat used car dealer culture that they seem to have over there, where everything has a price and if you can sue for it, then you deserve to get it!
 
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