Self Health Poll

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

phenyl-- is okayish on it's own, but hard to find on it's own.

Have you checked lately? It's much easier to find standalone phenylephrine than it used to be.

I'm glad to hear it works for you, so it's not total bullcrap foisted upon unsuspecting consumers...it is totally 100% ineffective for me.

[FrugalFloyd]

again you are crediting modern medicine w/ extending life. show me proof! AGAIN...better sanitation, safer work conditions, safer cars, advanced medical SCIENCE(not drugs), ALL(and more) contribute.

You have your proof right here in our society. Christian Scientists share our better sanitation, safer work conditions, safer cars, etc. They eschew modern medicine, preferring natural remedies and prayer.

From Wikipedia's article on Christian Science,

The Journal of the American Medical Association (22 September 1989) reported on a study of more than 5,500 Christian Scientists (drawn from graduates of Principia College, a school that encourages its students to practice Christian Science) as compared to a group of almost 30,000 employing conventional medicine or some other system.[21] The death rate among Christian Scientists from cancer was double the national average, and 6 percent died from causes considered preventable by doctors. The subjects not being Christian Scientists on the average lived four years longer if they were women and two longer if they were men.

A similar study was reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.[22] This study compared graduates of Principia College to graduates of a Seventh-Day Adventist College (Loma Linda University). Again, the Christian Science cohort had a higher overall mortality rate than the comparison cohort (though the dietary habits of Seventh Day Adventists may make them less susceptible to some diseases than the bulk of the population).[22]

The CDC also reports on two measles outbreaks in communities of Christian Scientists: one in 1994[23] and one in 1985 in which three people died.[24] These cases help inspire continuing controversy over religious exemption to vaccination requirements.[25]

[Lug_Nut]

My wife practices holistic medication on our aging dogs:
Titers annually to see if the vaccinations are still working rather than just getting another vaccination or booster,
Homeopathic remedies which I REALLY don't get. "The smaller the dose you take, the more effective it is." OK, I can do that... I take none and get better benefit than if I took a lot.
However, the "T-touch" massage, accupressure, accupuncture, and other non-western therapies do seem to work on both dogs. I don't believe a placebo effect is the cause.

Me? I'm on daily vitamins with iron because I have a chronic anemia condition according to my doc. I stopped the blood donations, started taking multi-vitamin with iron, and have had no rise in red cell count. I'm back to donating and won't buy more vitamins when this 360 count bottle runs out.
I'm also on condroitin and MSM tablets attempting to stave off further joint decay (I'm 50 now and starting to feel discomfort in my knees). The cartilage supplements have worked on the terrier after her knee surgeries, but they didn't help the sharks life a long life.....
I'm on a daily allergy tablet, nearly year 'round, to keep my hearing. One eustachian tube doesn't drain properly. Any sinus irritation causes blockage and middle ear discomfort. With tree pollen in the spring and grass through the summer and ragweed in the fall I looked into de-sensitation shots..., but a two year course of shots that might work, or OTC generic tabs that do work, made this a no-brainer choice.

As for this push poll thread, I won't choose any of the three 'guided' responses provided.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by Lug_Nut

I don't believe a placebo effect is the cause.

Even if it was, wouldn't that be good enough? Producing results is what we want from anything we try.

[zero_gravity]

twinkies kick ***!

the way i see the whole thing is simple:

drugs, doctors, etc while maybe questionable at time have proven research, facts, etc. behind them. i can research these things and find data - theres a solid science there. i will be the first to admit it isn't perfect though.

'natural remedies' often have none of this other than a vague promise of improving your health and testimonials that prove not a lot. HOWEVER, should we be looking into this stuff more for new medicines that are better? of course! its just sifting through the bull**** thats the problem

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Originally Posted by Lug_Nut

I'm on a daily allergy tablet, nearly year 'round, to keep my hearing. One eustachian tube doesn't drain properly. Any sinus irritation causes blockage and middle ear discomfort. With tree pollen in the spring and grass through the summer and ragweed in the fall I looked into de-sensitation shots..., but a two year course of shots that might work, or OTC generic tabs that do work, made this a no-brainer choice.

Damn another one, yup, I'm fighting to keep my right ear clear all the time too. Took the Reactine type stuff today, doesn't seem to do squat for ragweed, so I'm hitting the sheets with a couple of benadryl. The Claritin type stuff works for ragweed for me, but I can't take it for long before it gets psychoactive and things move in teh corner of my eye. Oddly the reverse is true in the tree pollen season, the Claritin does nothing and the Reactine works best. I think I got affected by grasses more this year, but not enough to have to take anything daily.

[Jay2TheRescue]

The Christian Scientists... I just could not understand it when I was on the ambulance. Once took one to the hospital in congestive heart failure (CHF). I had Lasix on my ambulance. I could have given it to them, and they would have felt better, but they refused. My partner was upset. After we dropped the patient off at the hospital we were in the nurse's lounge. He said "I have Lasix, God wants you to have it, or else he wouldn't have put it on my ambulance! When it comes to the point where your heart is so weak that you are drowning in the fluid backup in your lungs, you'd think they'd take the Lasix. People can live for years if they take the lasix when needed. The only real side effect is that it makes you pee a lot.

[theholycow]

That story reminds me of this old saw...
A farmer is in Iowa during a flood. The river is overflowing, with water surrounding the farmer's home up to his front porch. As he is standing there, a boat comes up, The man in the boat says "Jump in, I'll take you to safety."

The farmer crosses his arms and says stubbornly, "Nope, I put my trust in God."

The boat goes away. The water rises to the second floor. Another boat comes up, the man says to the farmer who is now in the second story window, "Jump in, I'll save you."

The farmer again says, "Nope, I put my trust in God."

The boat goes away. Now the water is up to the roof. As The farmer stands on the roof, a helicopter comes over, and drops a ladder. The pilot yells down to the farmer "I'll save you, climb the ladder."

The farmer says "Nope, I put my trust in God."

The helicopter goes away. The water comtinues to rise and sweeps the farmer off the roof. He drowns.

The farmer goes to heaven. God sees him and says "What are you doing here?"

The farmer says "I put my trust in you and you let me down."

God says, "What do you mean, let you down? I sent you two boats and a helicopter!!!"

[GasSavers_maximilian]

It's not just the Christian Scientists, they're just an extreme example. There are millions who believe in the "all natural" label despite the fact that there are countless natural compounds that are lethal. Asbestos is all natural, botulism is all natural.

My father's aunt was a Christian Scientist who died of breast cancer; the pain was horrific apparently.

Their Mapparium in Boston's worth checking out.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I can understand not wanting to go through with complicated procedures, or to take drugs with awful side effects, but they even refuse morphine (and that's "natural") I just cannot understand that. When death is eminent, and you're in pain, and you still say no? In my great aunt's final hours I let her have all the morphine she wanted. She didn't ask for much, but whatever she asked for, she got.