response 10 of 76:

Mar 15 22:10 UTC 2006

Brooke, I know what both astrology and acupuncture are.  I regard them 
as being equivalent, though.  I regard them both as superstitions.  I 
have the same view of "herbal medicine", pyramid therapy, aroma 
therapy, and magic, and pretty much anything else which might be 
described as "New Age".

response 12 of 76:

Mar 15 22:31 UTC 2006

sorry, i meant white willow bark, not birch.

response 14 of 76:

Mar 15 22:33 UTC 2006

actually birch as well.

hey, don't be sad!  have some delicious placebo!

response 16 of 76:

Mar 15 23:14 UTC 2006

re #12
Too late! I already at the centipede instead of the millipede and now its
burrowout out my esophagus!!!  

response 18 of 76:

Mar 15 23:38 UTC 2006

I would not choose "alternative medicine" for any health concern I had, 
but I did once test it. Our daughter kept getting painful warts on the 
bottom of her feet. I read up on this in the Merck Manual (for doctors) 
and it said that such warts were believed to have a psychological 
component. So, our daughter still being young and impressionable, I 
invented a "magic cure", which was the application of a *new* penny to a 
wart for exactly (timed) 60 seconds. This did cure the warts. I do not 
know, of course, whether the warts were about to go away anyway by 
themselves, or something psychological came into play.

response 20 of 76:

Mar 16 00:11 UTC 2006

I have a friend who has been studying herbal medicine. I know that there
are studies that show some of the things work beyond a placebo effect
but I also think in this particular friend's case, the placebo effect is
a big part of why these things work for her. Call it a combination of an
actual theraputic effect and a placebo effect. But they really do seem
to work for her. 

But some of the things she has suggested for me have worked for me in a
way. My favorite line from her when I called her and was really stressed
out and upset and wound up like nobody's business was "Quick! Get some
Chamomile tea. NOW!!! HURRY!!!" You know...Hurry up and calm down. Yeah
ok. But Chamomile tea does calm me down. And she made me this tea for
quitting smoking that is supposed to help with that. It is supposed to
help get the gunk out of the lungs or something. Well, I dont know if
the gunk is getting out of my lungs faster because of the tea or not but
it is pretty tasty and "what the heck"

response 22 of 76:

Mar 16 02:33 UTC 2006

I used to pound the Emergen-C during my "better living through chemicals" 
phase. I also had warty growths on my knuckles from the octacosanol I was 
mainlining orally. The funny thing is, now that I take far fewer 
supplements, exercise more and eat better, I find myself healthier. Go 
figure.

response 24 of 76:

Mar 16 06:31 UTC 2006

A Nobel winner also thought magadoses of vitamin C would cure colds. A
controlled experiment has been done, and no significant effect was observed.

Re #19: we were already being scrupulously clean and sanitizing, and did not
change those procedures during my experiment. 

response 26 of 76:

Mar 16 14:05 UTC 2006

They are "implemented" by doctors, all the time.  Whenever a doctor 
prescribes an antibiotic for an viral infection and the patient goes home 
and starts feeling better within 24 hours, he or she has demonstrated the 
power of the placebo.  Of course, there is always the chance that the 
virus ran its course over that 24 hours.  But those writing the 
prescriptions know that simply giving patients a strong, expensive 
medicine that the patients expect to work, will work, most of the time.

In fact, how a doctor treats a common viral infection says a lot about
his or her concern for the patient's health as opposed to simply making
someone happy and getting them out of the office queue. 

response 28 of 76:

Mar 16 14:40 UTC 2006

I have exactly one experience with chiropracty.  I went to this fellow
whom I already knew and considered to be a very down-to-earth sort (if
the personality of his daughter was to be any measure, it only spoke
good things of him).  I've had lower back problms ever since middle
school when I damaged my spine in a gym class accident, although the
damage was unsuspected at the time.

Anyway, the chiroprator gave me an adjustment which made me feel better,
which was fine, but the best part is that using a model spine he had
lying around, he explained in detail what the exact nature of the damage
was.  This was the first time in my life (which includes a number of
emergency room visits due to my back going out at odd times and places)
that anyone had ever explained exactly what was wrong, or even attempted
it.  Not only that, but his explanation was confirmed in every respect
by an MRI some months later.

response 30 of 76:

Mar 16 15:56 UTC 2006

I think your back doctor is exceptional in this regard.  I mean, isn't he 
the one who when a number of his patients reported they were going to 
Contours Express (a Curves clone) he took the time to visit the facility 
and check out their exercise equipment and routines?  That's simply 
amazing.

response 32 of 76:

Mar 16 18:34 UTC 2006

I can understand how it would help you quit smoking if instead of lighting
a cigarette you made and drank a cup of tea, no matter what was in it.