EVENTS
ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
THE DECEPTIVE DAMAGE OF HARMLESS TREATMENTS
By
ANNAGH DEVITT MARIA HATZISAVAS (Editor)
In a standard tumor board – think cancer conference – an atypical case was brought forth that left the health-care practitioners divided. The case was standard to begin with: a woman in her thirties found a small bump in her breast, which was classified as indeterminable (somewhere between benign and cancerous). The doctors agreed on what to do next: remove the tumor with a simple biopsy, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Her odds of survival were high, nearly 97%, yet this woman chose not to pursue her doctor’s recommended path and instead sought out alternative medicine (AM). For three years, the woman drank teas, ate organic foods, rubbed herbs all over her body, and visited numerous “healers.” By the time the woman went back to conventional medicine, it was far too late. Her tumor had grown from 1 centimeter to 6 centimeters, and attached to her chest wall. In addition, she showed symptoms of palpable axillary lymph nodes and metastases. Her case went from Stage I treatable breast cancer to Stage IIIC invasive breast cancer with very low chance of survival.1 Her choice to forego conventional medicine
had cost her many things, including a divorce and custody of her three children, and above all, it cost her life. This woman's case is an extreme in terms of dependence, but it is not necessarily odd in terms of practice. Between 40% to 70% of cancer patients use a form of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) alongside their conventional cancer treatments (CCT).2 Additionally, about one out of three adults utilize AM, making it a $34 billion industry.3 Seeking out nonconventional pain relief is not abnormal, regardless of causes or levels of pain. But we should be asking why that is the case. Why do cancer patients, those with chronic illness, and regular adults opt for alternative medicine in lieu of or in addition to modern methods? Most people who turn to AM partake in holistic medicine, like acupuncture and yoga, to deal with pain.4 Cancer patients use these practices to counterbalance the side effects from chemotherapy; those with chronic illness or otherwise healthy individuals also use them for similar pain-relieving benefits. Numerous studies have shown that these practices have
greatly improved the quality of life for cancer patients but have virtually no effect on their cancer progression. Other forms of alternative medicine, such as spiritual healing and natural remedies, also do not typically have a negative effect on the patient (unless products in the natural supplements interfere with a patient’s medication). While alternative medicine and its various branches are essentially placebos – they have neither positive nor negative effects, but the user perceives a difference – the real harm lies in the attitudes surrounding these methods. For some people, alternative medicine can consume their life. “Cult medicine.”1 This is what a doctor present at the tumor board for the case of the cancerstricken woman later described the practice of AM. In all major ways, AM treatments resemble that of a spiritual cult: a leader who proclaims to know more, a believer who is isolated from their friends and family, and a scheme that provides hope at exorbitant fees. The most infamous quack doctor to this effect was Harry M. Hoxsey. This cult leader of sorts was estimated to make nearly $1.5
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