a skeptic's view of alternative medicine

The last time I went to my acupuncture appointment, I sat in the waiting room reading, as I always do. I usually throw a magazine into my giant purse before any appointments or situations where I may have to wait, as that helps me get lost in reading and thus forget the rage that comes with waiting for someone who didn’t manage their time well. This time, the magazine I had brought with me and was reading was one of my faves, Skeptical Inquirer (I received a subscription for xmas from Dej), and I was trying to make sure the cover stayed concealed. I felt very naughty for reading one of the biggest critics of naturopathic medicine while sitting in my naturopathic clinic’s waiting room.

Here’s the thing—I believe 98% of what I read in Skeptical Inquirer (because it is mostly well-verified science, though every now and then they slip an opinion in), including their claims that naturopathic medicine is largely invalid and if benefits are realized, they probably due to the placebo effect. Yet there I sat, a naturopathic patient, paying for treatment out of my own very shallow pocket. At first glance, it seems like quite a dichotomy. Much of what occurs there, including homeopathy, is straight up woo, so why did I bother?

One of the reasons is that in the cases in which I went for treatment, I had already tried and failed to find help with western medicine. In each case, I was left with one of the following dispositions: take drugs, have surgery, live with the condition. I wasn’t happy with any of those options. I wanted relief but not from heavy-duty drugs or cutting and removing things, and so I decided to explore alternative options. I had reached the point of “can’t hurt, might help”. I was looking for the least invasive means of curing/relieving the problems, and those are not to be found in western medicine.

I have great trust in the science behind modern medicine and technology, but very, very little trust in the doctors who practice modern medicine. Doctors sell drugs and surgery. Those are both big profit makers, and ultimately it all comes back to money. If I went to a car dealership, and asked them to point me to the best way to get to work and back every day, they would try to sell me a car—a very expensive car, no doubt. They would not offer up the information that, given my circumstances, perhaps a bus pass would be the best, most cost effective solution. Likewise, allopathic doctors are not there to direct me to the bus pass solution, they want to sell me a car, and probably the most expensive one. As I was looking for the 'bus pass' of medical treatment, I went to an alternative practitioner.

Most doctors are also under tremendous pressure to push patients through in as little time as possible. If they do not make the targeted revenue (as determined by the clinic/HMO) in the fiscal year, they have to give back a portion of their salary. If they squeeze more in, they are financially rewarded for that, too. They are not recognized or compensated for spending 4 hours researching to make a diagnosis or find a less invasive treatment approach, so they don’t do it. They’re entire understanding of the symptoms/underlying cause and selection of a treatment occurs based on spending 15-20 minutes with the patient. They are not recognized or compensated if the patient is cured, happy, well, and doesn’t return for years, and nobody makes money when that happens. The goal is to get the patient in as often as possible, for a very short amount of time, and a maintenance prescription (check back every six months) and/or surgery accomplishes this goal as well as making a nice profitable bottom line. It’s a broken system that benefits insurance companies and HMOs—not the patient.

Naturopathic practitioners, on the other hand, spend a great deal of time with a patient—generally a full hour or more for each visit. They look at the whole being, down to a very detailed level, analyzing the diet, lifestyle, relationships, all symptoms, all functions of the body, which does allow them to catch things that western medicine misses in its fast and furious approach. They, by definition, look for the least invasive, most natural way to treat the underlying cause of the symptoms. This approach is superior in every way to the money-driven sloppiness involved in the diagnosis and drug-du-jour treatment of traditional medicine.

The treatment portion of naturopathy is where the quality starts to erode. There are some very effective treatments however—lifestyle changes (diet, rest, exercise, supplements, etc.) can make a big difference in one’s health. I did learn some very valuable and helpful things that improved my health and the quality of my life. Hands-on treatments (muscular-skeletal manipulation, and physically separating internal endometrial adhesions) also were beneficial for me. Homeopathy, strange machines that emitted vibrations or electric currents, and other woo-type methods were not effective for me at all. Acupuncture was a treatment that I had high hopes for, but after trying it for three different things—each of which it had been widely reported as being very successful in treating, I found no long-term benefits. I did experience an exhilarating calm during and right after treatment, but after following the full recommended course, there were no improvements, and I don’t feel the need to use acupuncture again.

I do not see alternative medicine as being a replacement for the hard science of (some, not all) western medicine, but it can serve as a complement to it. Given the money-driven approach to western medicine, there are many shortcomings. Given the current economic and political climate, I don’t see this improving anytime soon, if ever. Some of these shortcomings can be mitigated by naturopathic medicine, but it’s important with both approaches to be an educated, involved consumer. Nobody will care about your body or put the time into diagnosing and resolving it the way that you will. Though some of the treatments may be effective, many are a waste of time and money. However, even those that are proven to be worthless may still offer improvements via the placebo effect, and that too, can be a good thing. Feeling better is feeling better, and whether that comes from the patient’s mind or from the treatment itself, it is still a benefit.