Are Complimentary and Alternative Therapies Any Good?

[Andy McGregor]

Split from the "Ba5tards" thread.

describe the difference 'based on an assumption that Alternative treatments are valid and more effective than Scientific ones'.

All treatments are scientific. They work on the condition that exists in the patient. However, let's assume that Gav means conventional rather than "scientific". There is a huge amount of evidence here about complimentary therapies.

What I can tell you in general terms is that no drug or other treatment is 100% effective. And no placebo is 100% ineffective. In any study of the effect of a treatment on a condition there are patient for whom placebo seems to have an affect. Equally there are patients for whom the active treatment makes absolutely no difference. What we all want to know is "does the active treatment produce a favourable result in more patients than placebo". And, we might like to know, although it's harder to find; "which treatment is most likely to produce a favourable result?".

I haven't looked through all the studies listed on Bandolier under "Complimentary and Alternative Therapies". However, the most telling comment I've got is to say "why bother".

There are many anecdotal stories of Reiki or Aromatherapy or whatever working for an individual patient. There are also many patients who have gained from the use of placebo ...

There seems to be some feeling on the earlier thread that drug companies should get more experience before a drug is used. How will they get that without using it? There are checks and balances to ensure that risk is minimised. Usually with many thousands of patients. And, most of the time, this works very well. If we waited until more work was done we'd still be waiting for the launch of penicillin - which, btw, was shelved by another doctor many years before it was "discovered".

[JiveLad]

Yeah - but what about a 'Big Pharma' thread?......I think we did the alternative therapy thing before didn't we?

[Dreadful Scathe]

What's with this "Pharma" nonsense? Can no one spell Pharmarceutical ? er...Pharmacutical...Pharmasuetickle...

...never mind, carry on

[Martin]

Just hand over the drugs.. all good... get me better.

Honest, give me whatever, if it make me better.

3 times recently I have come back off hols with a sore throat... so now I go armed with vit C, multi vits, those throat sweets and drink a lot of spring water.

It has seemed to have worked.

[dave the scaffolder]

I recently overcame a very nasty addiction and 2 things helped me .

1 Acupuncture.

2 Trouble, without who;s help I would not be here today.

Many thanks again Michele.

DTS XXXX XXXX

[Trouble]

I recently overcame a very nasty addiction and 2 things helped me .

1 Acupuncture.

2 Trouble, without who;s help I would not be here today.

Many thanks again Michele.

DTS XXXX XXXX

stop already.

oh well, if you insist, you can keep telling the world what a great person i am. I get my OBE soon. That stands for Outstanding, Brilliant, Exceptional award .

[Andy McGregor]

I recently overcame a very nasty addiction and 2 things helped me .

1 Acupuncture.

2 Trouble, without who;s help I would not be here today.

Many thanks again Michele.

DTS XXXX XXXX

stop already.

oh well, if you insist, you can keep telling the world what a great person i am. I get my OBE soon. That stands for Outstanding, Brilliant, Exceptional award .

The way I read this is that DTS was addicted to Trouble's underwear. But Trouble would have killed him for being a cross-dresser and secretly wearing her knickers and stretching them everywhere apart from the gusset. So trouble sent him to an acupuncturist to cure him of dressing as a woman. Completely logical as far as I can see

[dave the scaffolder]

Damn that man is perceptive.

DTS XXX XXX

[Barry Shnikov]

I recently overcame a very nasty addiction and 2 things helped me .

1 Acupuncture.

2 Trouble, without who;s help I would not be here today.

Many thanks again Michele.

DTS XXXX XXXX

There was me thinking it was Trouble who was the addiction!