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**JRixlcvF** · 01-03-2011, 03:19 AM

willing to keep whatever works

Three comments from someone who spent a career in medical care:

1. We keep a fair number of treatments that don't work or are of, at best, marginal benefit - I'm not referring to research protocols here but "standard" accepted therapies.

2. False concepts have a way of disappearing with time. Although there may be no currently known basis for some aspects of Eastern medicine (I would avoid here diseases that seem to require surgical treatment) it is fairly difficult to ignore ideas which have survived thousands of years.

3. You might be quite shocked at the number of medical treatments which are used daily and which have VERY little hard scientific data to back them up - they are often based almost wholly on the opinion of a few well-known and very vocal experts (who are paid handsomely for their "opinions").

My point is, assuming that Western medicine is solidly based on hard scientific data is a false assumption - and assuming that any medical treatment not based on hard scientific data is simply wrong and invalid is also a shaky assumption. How does one choose? Seek the advice of a professional that knows and understands the data and hopefully does not gain monetary benefit (aside from the time he spends with you) from your choice.

01-03-2011, 03:19 AM	#7
JRixlcvF Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 505 Senior Member	willing to keep whatever works Three comments from someone who spent a career in medical care: 1. We keep a fair number of treatments that don't work or are of, at best, marginal benefit - I'm not referring to research protocols here but "standard" accepted therapies. 2. False concepts have a way of disappearing with time. Although there may be no currently known basis for some aspects of Eastern medicine (I would avoid here diseases that seem to require surgical treatment) it is fairly difficult to ignore ideas which have survived thousands of years. 3. You might be quite shocked at the number of medical treatments which are used daily and which have VERY little hard scientific data to back them up - they are often based almost wholly on the opinion of a few well-known and very vocal experts (who are paid handsomely for their "opinions"). My point is, assuming that Western medicine is solidly based on hard scientific data is a false assumption - and assuming that any medical treatment not based on hard scientific data is simply wrong and invalid is also a shaky assumption. How does one choose? Seek the advice of a professional that knows and understands the data and hopefully does not gain monetary benefit (aside from the time he spends with you) from your choice.
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