Alternative medicine doesn't work

[claidheamhmor]

So, here are the results of a 10year, $2.5 billion study on the efficacy of alternative medicines:
They don't work.

To wit:

"Ten years ago the government set out to test herbal and other alternative health remedies to find the ones that work. After spending $2.5 billion, the disappointing answer seems to be that almost none of them do.

Echinacea for colds. Ginkgo biloba for memory. Glucosamine and chondroitin for arthritis. Black cohosh for menopausal hot flashes. Saw palmetto for prostate problems. Shark cartilage for cancer. All proved no better than dummy pills in big studies funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The lone exception: ginger capsules may help chemotherapy nausea.

As for therapies, acupuncture has been shown to help certain conditions, and yoga, massage, meditation and other relaxation methods may relieve symptoms like pain, anxiety and fatigue.

However, the government also is funding studies of purported energy fields, distance healing and other approaches that have little if any biological plausibility or scientific evidence.

Taxpayers are bankrolling studies of whether pressing various spots on your head can help with weight loss, whether brain waves emitted from a special "master" can help break cocaine addiction, and whether wearing magnets can help the painful wrist problem, carpal tunnel syndrome."

Source: USAToday, Associated Press

The whole article is a pretty interesting read.

Comments

[vivian-shaw.livejournal.com]

They don't work.

In other news, Sarah Palin is stupid, heroin is habit-forming, and when it's raining there do be water pouring out the damn sky.

[capnoblivious.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but as long as there are people who believe that Palin is a misunderstood genius, drug addiction is a state of mind, and that rain only falls on the wicked, it's worth racking up the proof.

[windrider-09.livejournal.com]

There is nothing wrong with herbal meds.Of course, using herbs properly and as needed is not what the pharmaceuticals want us to know. It is also not alternative medicine

[claidheamhmor]

Nothing wrong with herbal meds? You mean, apart from them not working, and possibly being harmful? See the article I linked to.

And yeah, on that basis, it might be alternative, but it's not medicine.

[windrider-09.livejournal.com]

Herbal-based medicine not working? I am not talking about crap like Ginko force, normal herbs that have been used for centuries in remedies and some of them used in pill and tablets today.
How are they even alternative? I grew up in an environment that not everything must be treated by reaching for antibiotics or stronger drugs first. Modern drugs work faster, but we don't need to reach for C4 everytime we must swat a fly. Here is one example, valerian root extract has been used to calm people for ages. Not depression, but simply to calm the nerves when very upset. Again, we are talking about actual herbs, ones you buy at a pharmacy and know how to use, not some pretty packaging that has minimal stuff in it and an expensive tag.

Humanity has been suing herbs for ages, it is part of medicine. They are not alternative meds, they work slower on your system but then if someone is claiming that they can cure cancer by using herbs as an alternative don't know what they are talking about.

[claidheamhmor]

Sure, many modern medicines are derived from natural plant substances used from ancient times - aspirin being derived from willow bark is an excellent example. Generally, however, those that can be shown to work have been incorporated in formal medicine, with efficacy and safety testing.

Those that don't work - well, they don't work; read the article, it lists a whole bunch.

There may be a grey area of ones that *may* have benefit, without enough in the way of formal studies to demonstrate it, and I think Valerian may fall into that. Look at some of the bits from the Wikipedia article though:

• "These studies remain inconclusive and all require independent replication. The mechanism of action of valerian in general, as a mild sedative in particular, remains unknown. "


• "Valerian often seems only to work when taken over longer periods (several weeks), though many users find that it takes effect immediately."


• "However, long term safety studies are missing."


• "The main current use of valerian is as a remedy for insomnia, with a recent meta-analysis providing some evidence of effectiveness. It has been recommended for epilepsy but that is not supported by research"

All rather vague, without proper mechanisms or testing. Valerian seems to be used as a calmative - but there's also more than enough anecdotal evidence to support cigarettes being used to calm people, and *they're* not a good thing.

You say modern drugs work faster, but that's not necessarily true. With modern drugs, we have a proper dosage guide, and stipulated quantities of ingredients per dose. With herbals, you have no idea how much you're getting in each dose (it can very even within manufacturer's runs, never mind between different sources), and you have no idea how effective that particular preparation is (e.g. in oil, in water, in raw form, in preserved form, or any of hundreds of other ways of preparation). Modern drugs, at the least, are better controlled; they might be slower or faster, but at least you have a better idea upfront of how they work.

Along with that, with modern drugs you have some measure of safety testing, testing of interactions and side-effects, and knowledge that the drug actually works - because it's been tested!

Now, you could go and nom on willow bark if you have a headache - and I'm sure people without access to modern medicine actually do so - but doesn't it make more sense to take the modern medicinal derivation that has been tested and properly prepared?