Alternative Medicine: Why Science Is Being Ignored and What To Do About It
“Anti-GMO,” “essential oils,” “gluten-free,” “detox cleanses,” “homeopathic…” the buzzwords abound, permeating internet blogs and shaping the vernacular of today’s resurgence in so-called alternative medicine. But what explains this growing infatuation? And how, if at all, should scientists respond to it? Insofar as the preference for alternative medicine signifies a rejection of conventional medicine, it also connotes a tacit rejection of the scientific basis upon which modern medicine is built. Therefore, the matter clearly merits attention from scientists who should feel duty-bound to make the case for empirical, allopathic medicine. This is especially true for ECRs, who will no doubt encounter it frequently among fellow millennials.
Most readers can probably recall an encounter with a friend or acquaintance promulgating less-than-scientific nutritional views. In one of my own, I was confronted with the claim: microwaving food causes cancer. Despite my best arguments to the contrary (something like, “show me peer-reviewed studies!”) my friend remained unpersuaded.
All the same, little harm is done when a person decides to stop microwaving their dinner. But real concerns arise when these behaviors are taken to extremes, e.g., using garlic instead of chemotherapy, or refusing to vaccinate children. These scenarios illustrate how dismissing science-based medicine can result in genuine harm if trying alternative “remedies” prevents or delays legitimate treatment. How should biomedical scientists address this unsettling trend? And could they be at all to blame?
Firstly, what exactly is Alternative Medicine?
A straightforward definition for “alternative medicine” is a bit dubious, as it encompasses a diversity of treatments and practices. Supporters might call it a group of therapies which have been historically ignored or denied by conventional healthcare. More accurately, it can be described as a collection of unorthodox medical approaches all defined by a singular feature: the absence of supporting evidence. This is either because they’ve been factually disproven or because they currently lack adequate proof (often because they’re not amenable to experimental inquiry).
Nevertheless, alternative medicine is flourishing. In 1970, 14% of individuals disclosed using alternative medicine; by 2002 it was over 34%. Today, some estimates peg that number at 40%. This rise might not be surprising to users of social media, where clickbait testimonials for magnetic therapy and herbal remedies litter newsfeeds. But, considering the medical advances these decades witnessed, this uptick is remarkable, even paradoxical. After all, if modern medicine is better today than it has ever been, why are discredited alternatives becoming more—and not less—prevalent?
Acclaim for scientific medicine historically
Past generations can bear witness to the ubiquity of Polio into the 20th century, when practically everyone knew a kid in their neighborhood stricken with the virus. So when Jonas Salk developed the first polio vaccine in 1953, it launched him into the stratosphere of acclaim. Or consider Edward Jenner’s discovery of the smallpox vaccine, leading then President Thomas Jefferson to compose a historic letter praising him for having “erased from the calendar of human afflictions one of its greatest….mankind can never forget that you have lived.” Compare this to present day, where doubt about vaccine safety is openly discussed in the highest ranks of government. Sadly, it seems like virtual invisibility of history’s worst viral scourges in today’s world has left us incredulous about the seriousness of the health risks they pose.
Origin stories
So why is any of this happening? Is there something the science or medical community has done to invite dissatisfaction with modern medicine? Surely one source is the continued inability of mainstream approaches to effectively treat many diseases. When an oncologist tells a cancer patient they have 2 months to live, it’s hardly inconceivable when they seek out unorthodox remedies like hyperbaric therapy or energy healing in desperation. Moreover, for most of human history, physician interventions did more harm than good . Although this reversed around the 19th century, iatrogenic harm and hospital-acquired infections can still make someone worse off from having sought out medical care. Consequently, distrust for medical professionals and skepticism of medicine in general lingers.
Another reason for alternative medicine’s appeal is simply that patients may believe it truly works—the placebo effect can indeed be a powerful motivator. However, once these nontraditional views take hold they’re hard to dislodge. Responding with insensitive criticism and ridicule is almost certainly counterproductive; by dismissing their beliefs as infantile fantasies or medieval quackery, we only belittle the person, pushing them further away. Nevertheless, a hostile posture toward alternative medicine and its adherents is not uncommon in medical science—and largely to its detriment.
Sowing doubt for pseudoscience
Bearing all this in mind, what are biomedical professionals to do? For one, more faithfully communicating the superior value, safety and benefits of their craft. In the pursuit of publications and funding, it’s easy to overlook the importance of communicating research to the community. Additionally, to be more persuasive, arguments against alternative medicine and its pseudoscientific basis mustn’t patronize those holding such beliefs. In the end, espousing the superior methodology and credibility of empirical medical science will win over most folks. For the rest, snake oil will have to do.
Featured image: Wiping out polio. From NPR.org. Obtained via google images under a CC BY-SA 2.0 license
References
Stefaan Blancke (August 18, 2015). Why People Oppose GMOs Even Though Science Says They Are Safe. The Scientific American
Lily Dayton (January 16, 2016). Sure, essential oils smell great. But are they good for anything else? The LA Times
Holly Strawbridge (February 20, 2013) Going gluten-free just because? Here’s what you need to know. Harvard Health website
Dara Mohammadi (December 5, 2014) You can’t detox your body. It’s a myth. So how do you get healthy? The Guardian
The Economist Explains (2014). Why homeopathy is nonsense The Economist
Merriam-Webster website. Allopathy Definition
Paul Fassa (December 8, 2010). Why and how microwave cooking causes cancer. Natural News
Chris Wark (2017). The Top 10 Anti-Cancer Vegetables Chris Beat Cancer website
Lena Sun (May 5, 2017). Anti-vaccine activists spark a state’s worst measles outbreak in decades. The Washington Post
Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name? (June 6, 2016). NCCIH Website
Michael Frass, et al. (2012) Use and Acceptance of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among the General Population and Medical Personnel: A Systematic Review. The Ochsner Journal
WebMD. What Exactly Is Alternative Medicine?
Elizabeth Palermo (February 11, 2015) Does Magnetic Therapy Work? LiveScience
Michael Castleman (November 2010). Herbal Remedies for Common Ailments. Mother Earth News
Salk announces polio vaccine. History website
Letter to Dr. Edward Jenner Monticello, May 14, 1806. Department of Alfa-Informatica of the University of Groningen website
Domineco Montanaro (January 10, 2017). Despite The Facts, Trump Once Again Embraces Vaccine Skeptics. NPR.org
Ingrid Moen and Linda Stuhr (December 7, 2012). Hyperbaric oxygen therapy and cancer—a review. Targeted Oncology
Alex Hermosillo. Mastery of Energy Healing website
Therapeutic Nihilism. Wikipedia
WebMD. Americans Distrust Medical Profession in Survey
Judith Reichel (March 22, 2017) Standing Up For Science Now More Than Ever. PLOS ECR Community.
[…] Source: The Rise of Pseudoscience in Alternative Medicine and How to Talk About It […]
Perhaps it is worth mentioning that the not infrequent abandonment of rigorous science by “conventional medicine” may be a contributing factor in driving patients into the hands of alternative practitioners. Spinal fusion, vertebroplasty, knee debridement and meniscus repair, statin drugs for primary prevention, antibiotics for viral infections are but a few examples of common practices in conventional medicine that are of either dubious or even clearly disproven benefit to the patients and yet they remain the standard of care in empirical, allopathic medicine…physician, heal thyself?
[…] The Rise of Pseudoscience in Alternative Medicine and How to Talk About It PLoS Blogs […]
[…] Alternative Medicine: Why Science Is Being Ignored and What To Do About It PLoS Blogs […]
Wrong terminology. Its NOT either or.
https://nccih.nih.gov/
My argument for supporting these claims of alternative medicines (especially herbal drugs) is they are effective; so much so that conventional medicine uses the same properties and compounds made through nature as inspiration. The active compounds in many popular drugs have been found in nature, such as aspirin and penicillin and morphine.
Try to understand that some people may want a more natural low dosage form of medicine than a synthesized form containing only the active compound, especially in non-life threatening conditions.
That’s not to say that complementary health care is always the answer but I do not believe that these natural remedies (with scientific proof) should be discredited.
*Should not be discredited.
We are a non-profit organization based in Kathmandu, Nepal providing
treatment, care and support to the cancer patients using Nepali
mountain herbs based on traditional healing practice and herbal
healing practice. This herbal treatment knowledge, skills and
experience particularly for chronic diseases and terminal cancer cases
is inherited to us from traditional healers (herbal practitioners) or
our great grand fathers to fathers to us over the last 300 years. This
herbal treatment, care and support were very popular before the entry
of modern (western medicine) in Nepal.
In our team we have traditional herbal healers and few modern medical
doctors led by Dr K K Rai (MBBS,MD,GP (TU), MPH (Johns Hopkins
University) who is very keenly interested in herbal medicine because
of its remarkable treatment effectiveness observed in malignant cases.
As a result of traditional treatment culture, local people still trust
on traditional healing practice and use it in Nepal in spite of easy
availability of modern medical facilities in Nepal.
Use of herbal medicine is being popular in Nepal because of its price
values which are much cheaper in comparison to modern medicines.
However, traditional healing practice and use local mountain herbs in
chronic diseases including malignant diseases has not been highlighted
due lack of modern research. So, use of mountain herbs as anti cancer
medicine, based on traditional experience being practiced by us in
Nepal needs to be verified by modern scientific tools and techniques
and if the research finding is effective to cure malignance diseases
proven by research evidence that could be really a good news to the
cancer patients globally, subjects to be disseminated through
publication in scientific peer review journals globally. So we are
looking for a kind of technical and financial collaboration in cancer
research from potential research partners in order to contribute to
the human being (cancer patients) across the global.
Please feel free to ask any questions related in mountain herbs in the
treatment of chronic diseases including cancers. We would be very
happy if you kindly include in any planning meetings, discussions,
symposiums or seminar in this connection.
Few malignant cases showing good treatment outcome by use of mountain
herbs is given below-
Case No. 1
A lady of 58 years of age, mother of an ancologist (medical doctor)
Diagnosed as a case of Ca.Overy – initially treated by modern medicine
– had surgery plus radiotherapy along with 6 cycles of chemotherapy
Not satisfied with modern medical treatment, then came to us
On arrival – her report showed – CA 125 level 11392.5 IU/ml <
32.2(1:50 dilution/ CLIA Method)
After having our herbal course for 4 weeks
Her reports positively changed – showed -CA 125 level 1502.9 IU/ml
We continued the treatment, and after continuing our herbal course for
6 weeks – the report showed CA 125 Level 162.2 IU/ml
She is still under our treatment with much better outcome.
Case No.2.
A young female of 27 years of age, from Pyothan district of Nepal,
diagnosed as a case of CML – had blood replacement in modern medical
center, prescribed Glivec® 400mg- she came to us when she was replied
“No cure” answer by the doctors. Full remission achieved after a
course of 12 weeks herbal treatment in our center. She is now planning
to marry.
Case No. 3
Male 41 years of age, diagnosed as a case of Ca Stomach,
Came to us when he was dissatisfied by the modern medical treatment
We gave him mountain herbs for 14 weeks – the outcome is amazing. We
stopped treatment when the report showed CEA Level 0.6 ng/ml. He is in
very good health now.
Note: For further testimonial, you can visit our website
http://www.cancercareresearch.com
Thank you so much
Looking forward to have close collaboration in cancer research.
Truly yours
Krishna Pokharel
Managing Director
Nepal cancer Cure & Herbs Research Pvt. Ltd.
Kathmandu, Nepal
Contact:
nepalcancercure@gmail.com
http://www.cancercareresearch.com
Phone: 977-1-4437166
Mobile: 977-9851136526
[…] With 2017 behind us, it feels appropriate to ponder on a phenomenon that has become increasingly present and problematic for early career researchers: mixed messages about public trust in science. In a way, we now live in the age of emotions, where resistance to facts and denial of knowledge is something that many researchers often encounter. Basic facts are often worth as much as someone’s feelings. Some even argue that there is an ongoing war on science around the world, where areas of scientific knowledge and the people who work in them are under daily attack. This may foster a general sense of scientific illiteracy in the public, where voters are increasingly willing to reject science and to elect antiscientific politicians. These politicians and their supporters argue in favor of scientifically unsupported ideas like vaccines causing autism, or that global warming is a hoax. Also see a previous PLOS ECR post by Steven Eastlack on why science is being ignored. […]
Thanks! What do you guys think about CBD?
I have recently purchased CBD from Dr. CBD (https://drcbd.co/ ), it seems to be working pretty well :))
Alternative medicine is popular because it is often helpful and cost effective. Treatments such as acupuncture, massage, osteopathy, yoga, meditation and nutritional therapy can offer significant positive results quickly. The issues on the healthcare world will never stop.
Alternative medicine is a big industry with many benefited users. It requires same attention as other and people are working on this.
One major problem with modern traditional medical practice is that the research is subjective and bias. Alot of scientifical research has been subjective and bias due to the big pharma companies and due to the lack of acknowledgement from the FDA. I use alot of herbal medicine for pain management, migraines and other ailments. I know it works and it’s not a placebo effect is because I did ask others that had similar issues to take those herbs and they had alot of the same results. Alot of herbs I take such as Kratom, white willow, weed, yunnam bayoi, yarrow and essential oils such as tea tree oil, lavender oil and bee products such as propolis and raw honey has been taken and used for generations by locals, indigenous people, tribes, aboriginals and great empires such as the Greeks and Trojans during the trojan war, by the chinese, Roman’s, Egyptians and Indians. Now its vital not to get herbal medicine and naturopathy medicine to be confused with homeopathic medicine. I say if placebo effects actually has an effect, it should be used for good purposes.
If anything is subjective, it is herbal medicine. I actually married a herbalist and consumed many of her concocted tinctures, salves, poultice’s and teas. Not one single time did the herbal medicine help in any way. Even simple rashes were not healed. The herbs used were all procured from the finest shops available. The only medicines I partook of, found in homeopathy/herbalism, that afforded me any benefit were a tincture of diluted kava kava, and a homeopathic manege that included belladonna. Little did I know that the FDA warned about taking kava kava due to the quick onset of liver failure. Belladonna, a natural hallucinogen, sent me into a state of seeing non existence images. A very frightening experience I might say. I have searched high and low, over 4 continents for some factual evidence of cured disease states, specifically cancer, and there is not one case that can proven.
If anything is subjective, it is herbal medicine. I actually married a herbalist and consumed many of her concocted tinctures, salves, poultice’s and teas. Not one single time did the herbal medicine help in any way. Even simple rashes were not healed. The herbs used were all procured from the finest shops available. The only medicines I partook of, found in homeopathy/herbalism, that afforded me any benefit were a tincture of diluted kava kava, and a homeopathic manege that included belladonna. Little did I know that the FDA warned about taking kava kava due to the quick onset of liver failure. Belladonna, a natural hallucinogen, sent me into a state of seeing non existence images. A very frightening experience I might say. I have searched high and low, over 4 continents for some factual evidence of cured disease states, specifically cancer, and there is not one case that can proven.