Krishan Singh recently had a piece published at Dane101 called "Madison and Alternative Medicine in 2008" in which he wrote: "Let’s make 2008 the year we take alternative medicine to the next level." Let's not.
"Krishan Singh" is apparently the nom de plume of Hershel Reese Miller. He also appears to be one of the contributors – H~ - to the blog New Age: Observations N Perspectives: Philosophy, Existence, Dreams and Happiness. Here he says that we "evolve" into new species while we sleep; he lends credence to prophecy and all of the 2012 bullshit:
Some of the most interesting info I have seen around this date have to do with the photon belt. Which is essentially a band of energy that goes round the universe. In my opinion through this belt new rays of energy will start to influence humanity, those more sensitive to these rays are already feeling the effects.
A Galatic alignment process could bring all sorts of interesting energies upon the earth.
Well Mr. Miller, we get hit with photons everyday – it's called sunlight. What is this photon belt he's going on about? From Wikipedia:
The photon belt (photon ring, manasic ring, or golden nebula) is a fringe belief largely linked to some parts of the new age movement that a belt or ring of photons is going to, depending on the source of the information, fully envelope the Earth in 2012 and possibly cause massive failure of electrical equipment with 2-3 days of total darkness or total daylight, and/or initiate some kind of spiritual transition (usually referred to as "a shift in consciousness", "the shift of the ages", or just "the shift", with the time period leading up to the shift as "the quickening"; it has also been referred to as "zero point" and ties in to various prophecies, the Mayan calendar, extraterrestrial life, etc).
H~ also tells us he is "a believer in past lives" and was once a "Powerful Dream Shaman". (Capital letters are his.) He refers to himself as "a person of science" with a link to a list of articles on consciousness as if merely linking to it proves anything. If he were a person of science, he'd know that alternative medicine = quackery, 2012 will be just another year, and that there is no evidence to show the existence of a soul which can give a person past lives. You throw any New Age bullshit about having your consciousness "evolve" or "ascend" and he is on it like white on rice.
And so he is out dispensing medical advice. I'm certainly not disagreeing with him that exercise, changing one's diet towards the healthier, yoga, or taking a cold shower are good ideas. But "Get a Reiki Session" and "Try Ayurvedic Medicine" alarm and annoy me. Reiki is bullshit and I read this today:
Dangerous amounts of lead have also been found in ayurvedic medicines, which are used in India and commonly found in South Asian immigrant communities in New York, Chicago and Houston. These medicines include ghasard, a brown powder given to relieve constipation in babies, and mahayogaraj gugullu, for high blood pressure.
Traditional medicines may account for up to 30 percent of all childhood lead poisoning cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a 2004 study that found high concentrations of lead in ayurvedic medicine, Boston University researcher Robert Saper bought 70 different ayurvedic remedies at 30 stores within a 20-mile radius of Boston City Hall. One in five contained potentially harmful levels of lead, mercury and arsenic.
Let's make 2008 the year when alternative medicine goes on the decline. Have you ever noticed how the Willy Street Coop does its best to let you know about the vegetables you buy there? They tell you where it comes from, who the farmer was that grew them, nutritional value, et al. But, when it comes to their herbal remedies, it is caveat emptor. We know that vegetables are good for you but we don't know the risks of taking herbal concoctions that, say, claim to enhance your libido. They are happy to sell you a $25 bottle of pills that may or may not work and may or may not be safe for you. Let's hold the Coop accountable for this glaring inconsistency. Instead of giving someone $50 or $60 to align energy paths that no one has ever proven to exist, how about going in for a checkup with a legitimate doctor who is accredited by legitimate organizations. Perhaps use your critical thinking skills this year instead of believing any claim that contains the word "natural" in it or supposedly comes from an "ancient tradition" of healing. How about giving some credit to medicine and science which is based on evidence and has helped millions live longer, healthier lives.
Let's make 2008 the year when alternative medicine becomes commonly called what it really is – quackery.
Oh Palmer, I hate it when you go into angry Skeptic mode, because you often muddy your excellent points with such a curmudgeonly tone.
ReplyDeleteI've had some "alternative medicine therapies", including Reiki, and while they might be "bullshit", they aren't necessarily bad things. My experience with Reiki has been completely positive. Now, this may have everything to do with the fact that the practitioners were friends of mine and the "treatments" were free. I was spending time with people whom I trusted and being tended to. Trust me, there is great value in that alone. In any case, the experience was positive and not in the least bit harmful.
I think your distrust of these kinds of things and dislike of quackery in general are not unreasonable, but you have to realize that "real" medicine was bourne not from some sudden event, but from years of traditional medical practice.
As you know from my struggles with finding the right medications, the stamp of "science" doesn't make something good for you, nor does having a medical degree make a clinician a magician. I think it behooves you to have a similar level of skepticism about western medicine as well.
I don't think there was anything curmudgeonly at all about this post. There's no misanthropy, no better-in-my-day attitude, no angry at the world or the-world-owes-me kind of stuff. Remind me to comment on your next angry Black Woman rant.
ReplyDeleteIf you follow the link regarding Reiki, you will find that it says massage has therapeutic value. I did not imply that Reiki therapy would be deleterious to your health. How does the history of "real" medicine make for a defense of quackery? That Western doctors once affixed leeches to patients, for instance, says nothing about the efficacy of alternative medicine. Notice the contrast between doctors today who tout the latest medical advances vs. alternative medicine which often times says that it is part of an ancient tradition or some such thing, implying that, since it's been used for centuries, it must be effective. "Real" doctors do not tout the history of leeching, the humors, etc.
I agree that the stamp of science doesn't make something good for you and I never said that it did. And nowhere did I equate doctors and magicians. All claims deserve skepticism of some amount and Western medicine is certainly not perfect.
Sorry, I should have said you nasty tone, but I was trying to be nice.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, I guess you prove my point with your comments - you talk about science being tried and true but with problems and missteps in the past. I think the same could be said of many things, including "alternative medicine".
And I realize that you didn't say Reiki was harmful, just bullshit. But what's your problem with that? Am I forced to go for reiki instead of the doctor?
Many people tout a surgery such as stomach resectioning (gastric bypass) as safe and effective, but there is much evidence that it's not. Far more people are getting unnecessary surgeries than are taking Reiki treatments. I know, that's not your issue. But it's stuff like that which concerns me far more than whether or not someone uses homeopathy.
To use Reiki as an example, I have no idea what people claim it does. I know what it did (or what I felt it did) when I experienced it. The fact that I felt relaxed and happy afterward is all I remember, and all I need to know. There may be something to say for the effects of a treatment whether they are genuine or placebo. That's something you seem to discount, and I think you oughtn't.
Feel free to comment on my Angry posts, whether they be Angry Woman, Angry BiPolar, Angry Fat Person, or Angry Black Person.
xo
Just because science has had (and continues to have) problems and missteps has no bearing on the efficacy of alternative medicine. I disagree with your assertion that alternative medicine is tried and true but with problems. It's quackery.
ReplyDeleteAs you said above, when speaking of stomach resectioning, we talk of evidence. Not hippy-dippy energy fields.
I think perhaps we are talking about apples and oranges here.
ReplyDeleteI think you should list the 10-20-50-100 types of alternative medicine you are aware of and why they are quackery. Because you lump things which are nuts (photon belt) together with things which are, to my understanding, harmless, and that is where you lose me.
As I alluded to in my earlier comment, I see that there are worse things out there than reiki (or aromatherapy and homeopathy, to note two alternative medicine deals I'm not concerned about).
The thing is, what harm does it do you if someone else believes in "hippy-dippy energy fields"? None.
People can believe in whatever energy fields they so desire. But having people pay you to supposedly manipulate their qi because you claim this is salubrious to their health is fraud:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/01/qray.shtm
And, in a local instance, fraud is now tainting an institution that is supposed to promote science-based medicine:
http://www.uwhealth.org/page.asp?contentid=11462
And, it seems that "dubious claims are being promoted to students in an unscientific, uncritical manner":
http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2007/12/the_chicago_tribunes_cheerleader_for_woo.php
One problem is that groups like the Bravewell Collaborative aren't content on opening their own shops to practice their voodoo. Instead they give endowments to integrate their BS with legitimate medicine and, it seems, these institutions do so unthinkingly and uncritically. Additionally some of our tax money goes to starting these programs and promoting them.
Mr. Miller is free to profess his belief in whatever energy he pleases. He is also free to post pieces on the Internet saying that he thinks CAM is good and thinks people should give, say, reiki a try. I did not say that 2008 should be the year when CAM advocates should be silenced and sent to Gitmo. But people who promote quackery do not get a free pass.