#nacebo

[inkintheinternet]

Alternative Medicine and Placebos

By Arjuwan Lakkdawala

Ink in the Internet

In my previous article I had continued with how to help the immune system improve and navigate around risks. I had specifically focused on unhealthy food, and food contamination. 

To have a rounded view on immune system care, and disease treatment overview, I had to focus next on Alternative Medicine.

The various methods of Alternative Medicine will be discussed here because it is publicised by its practitioners as effective in the treatment of many noncommunicable diseases.

What makes this an issue of concern is the unfortunate phenomena of ever increasing statistics of noncommunicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, etc. 

Heart disease being the leading cause of deaths worldwide.

It is very surprising considering how much health and fitness awareness has been made in this era. So why are diseases that appear to have links with lifestyle and eating habits surging.

According to research on the Internet many people are turning to Alternative Medicine that offer "holistic approaches to disease treatments and prevention."

Many names come into this like Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TMC/ Oriental Medicine) which includes Acupuncture and Tai Chi.

Other methods are Cupping which is traditionally practiced in the Middle East, herbalism, naturopathy and homeopathy.

So I researched Alternative Medicine to learn what the science says about its methods and effectiveness.

In my research I found that the original understanding of what is considered ailment and treatment in ancient medicine was based on the interpretation of physical symptoms. It was often connected to spirituality and the elements. This psychology and method to decide what could be appropriate treatment was the furtherest thing from science.

India's Ayurveda and the Chinese TMC both have almost the same idea that people got ill when there was imbalance in the body.

Both ancient methodologies of medicine and treatment  have massage as a component. Here it is extremely important to note that many people don't know that an untrained hand can result with a stroke or paralysis of the brain. Especially in neck massage therapy and massage of the back where the spinal chord can get affected.

In addition massages by not properly trained professionals can cause nerve damage.

Also there is very little research done on massage, and the few studies that there are have weak evidence of benefits, and most state that even pain relief is short term.

We must not confuse massages with physiotherapy which can be very helpful in restoring movement after an injury, ailment, or disability.

The question of the credibility of the institutes that give licences to practioners of Alternative Medicine, also arise when considering how little research has been done on the techniques, remedies, and treatments of Alternative Medicine compared to Conventional Western Medicine.

"Ayurvedic medicine contain herbs, metals, minerals, or other materials that may be harmful if used improperly or without the direction of a trained practitioner."

Naturopathy is an interesting take in Alternative Medicine, because its practitioners do engage in some forms of conventional tests and perhaps treatment.

"What Naturopathic Practitioners Do

Naturopathic practitioners use many different treatment approaches. Examples include:

Dietary and lifestyle changes

Stress reduction

Herbs and other dietary supplements

Homeopathy

Manipulative therapies

Exercise therapy

Practitioner-guided detoxification

Psychotherapy and counseling.

Some practitioners use other methods as well or, if appropriate, may refer patients to conventional health care providers."

If I were to dissect the list above it would go basically like this in my opinion:

Healthy food and exercise.

Emotional well-being 

Herbal remedies and probably vitamins.

Placebo 

Massages

Aerobics 

Again healthy food

As stated.

Considering the above we can take note that psychology and basically healthy food and exercise is at its roots.

This brings up the subject of placebos. According to several research homeopathy is placebo based.

Nacebo is when a person might have detrimental effects on health, because of negative expectations of treatment or pregnosis. Placebo is when a person might get better thinking they have taken medicine that is a guaranteed cure or improvement.

There is much debate about this apparent mind over matter issue. 

Important things to note here is 1. Diet does seem to be at the root cause of many noncommunicable diseases, and therefore a healthy diet and lifestyle change like incorporating exercise may help prevent a good deal of noncommunicable diseases. 

2. Stress which effects the heart  can cause many diseases. 

Common effects of stress

"Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can help you manage them. Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes." - Mayo Clinic.

So as far as prevention goes it does seem that good dietary and lifestyle advice can be prescribed by a certified Alternative Medicine practioner.

However, in the case of the onset of diseases like cancer, diabetes, or heart disease and many other it seems that any dependence on Alternative Medicine will be futile and only conventional medicine can give realistic results. Many hospitals are considering the inclusion of Alternative Medicine as complementary treatment and it is called Integrative Health.

Biomedicine is at the forefront at effective treatment of diseases. Even homeopathy practioners and NDs (Naturophatic Doctors) admit that in a health emergency biomedicine is indispensable.

Ancient medical practices which are at the roots of Alternative Medicine date back 3,000 years, and it has taken hundreds of years for medical disciplines to evolve from these and become scientific and evidance based.

Asclepiades, was a Greek Physician "who first made the distinction between diseases 'curable' acute and 'non-curable' chronic." He also pioneered in the humane treatment of mental disorders.

Through a microscopic perspective we live in a hostile environment. It is a great mystery, and scientists have struggled to understand how our immune system developed to protect us from microorganisms.

It is possible that agriculture and the domestication of animals had major effects on immune system development. 

Alternative Medicine has nothing as effective as biomedicine in the treatment of diseases. Be it autoimmune or infectious. The holestic approach of Alternative Medicine which is diet, exercise, and lifestyle are effective in prevention.

Emotional well-being plays a major part in quality of life. Therefore counseling when there is emotional distress may be helpful.

Arjuwan Lakkdawala is an author and independent journalist. Her Twitter/Instagram is @Spellrainia 

Copyright ©️ Arjuwan Lakkdawala 2023

Sources:

Asclepiades Of Bithynia

Greek physician

Written and fact-checked by 

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Stress symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior

By Mayo Clinic Staff

PMC Vaccines A Biography

A Brief History of Microbiology and Immunology

Steven M. Opal

Wiley Online Library

Integrating homeopathy and biomedicine: medical practice and knowledge production among German homeopathic physicians by Robert Frank

Versus Arthritis

Manipulative therapies: chiropractic, osteopathy and manual medicine

NHS Physiotherapy

NIH National Center For Comolementary and Integrative Health

Massage Therapy for Health : What the Science Says

Science Direct

Synthetic Hormones

What Are Endocrine Disrupters and Where Are They Found?

Philippa D. Darbre, in Endocrine Disruption and Human Health, 2015

Autoimmune conditions: root causes and how to prevent them Samantha Gemmel Nutritionist

The Qunt

Did You Know a Simple Neck Massage Could Lead to a Stroke?

An untrained hand on your neck can cause a lot of damage and even result in paralysis.

DR CHANDRIL CHUGH

National Cancer Institute

WebMD

What Is Naturopathic Medicine?

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, MS, DO on February 21, 2021

NIH National Library of Medicine

WJM Western Journal of Medicine

West J Med. 1982 Jun; 136(6): 546–551. 

PMCID: PMC1273970

PMID: 7113200

Holistic Medicine: Advances and Shortcomings

James S. Gordon, MD, Research Psychiatrist, Chief

What is Biomedicine?

Download PDF Copy

By Morgan Rustidge, MScReviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.

CDC About Global NCDs

ACS

Biological/Biochemistry

What is biochemistry

NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Naturopathy

WebMD

What Is Naturopathic Medicine?

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, MS, DO on February 21, 2021

PMC Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine

The Bell Tolls for Homeopathy: Time for Change in the Training and Practice of North American Naturopathic Physicians

David H. Nelson, Jaclyn M. Perchaluk, ND, [...], and Martin A. Katzman, MD

NIH National Cancer Institute

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Chinese Medicine

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Why people use complementary or alternative therapies

Johns Hopkins Medicine

What is Ayurveda?

[thedorkreadstheworld]

Just watched Nacebo 2022.

Kumain kayo ngayon ng Balut!!!! Hahaha

Kidding aside, the movie is 10/10 for a revenge film. Stunning performances by our very own Chai Fonacier and interesting concept so please watch it!

And, justice for Kentex Workers!

[upsilon-andromeda]

Mindlessness

Sleep. I feel like sleep is just death, if death was an introvert. The feeling of falling endlessly. Scary how you can so perfectly mimic the feeling of falling. Aftermath or preparation? Are we even alive and living at this moment. My cells are made of atoms, the same atoms that make up the chair I’m sitting on.

I feel like I’m going insane.

The nacebo effect. The horseman of self harm. It’s strange how your mind will hurt you, just because it believes you’ve been hurt. (A popular study where a fake laser was shone on the arms of a group of people who were told the procedure would hurt and burn intensively, the test subjects minds started inflicting pain on itself just to prove something they were made to believe).

[nature-bro]

"so powerful is the nacebo and placebo effect that every medical study has to consider them." Science Vs podcast, episode Fracking.

damn