Alternative Medicine
South Africa – Warning Over Bogus Beauty Treatment
Oxygen chamber therapy is a popular procedure in which users climb into an ozone pod with their head out of the top of the pod, while steam and oxygen mixture circulates inside the unit. It’s often punted as an anti-aging and detoxifying treatment. Typically, the marketing will claim that ozone therapy helps with everything from weight loss to skin rejuvenation, however medical doctor, Doctor Harris Steinman, Director – food and allergy consulting & testing Services says ozone therapy is a scam which can have harmful health consequences, not just to the skin, on inhalation, it can cause lung damage and there have been reported deaths from ozone therapy, he warns that unqualified people are administering ozone and making false health claims without any regulatory oversight. Read more
Australia – Immunity, stress relief vitamin
The country’s chief group of general practitioners is warning consumers to treat alternative and complementary medicine products with a “great deal of caution.” Prof Shenouda said “Many alternative treatments lack any scientific evidence base of effectiveness to support their use. These products might have no beneficial effect and could even cause harm,” “My advice for anyone stressed or concerned about COVID-19 and their mental health is to avoid ‘quick fix’ products with no scientific basis, and instead contact your GP. “Your GP can give you expert medical advice on a whole range of treatment options, both medical and non-medical, that are right for you and your situation.” Read more
India – Ayurveda claims have no scientific basis
Despite years of research and backing from the Indian government, as well as mainstream scientists speaking out about the misguided belief in “cow-pathy” which is faith in the protean curative properties of cow products – milk, cow urine, and dung. Currently, no cow product-based cure exists yet for any specific disease. This hasn’t however, prevented the Hindu government from using the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to promote the pseudoscience of AYUSH which stands for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. Ayurveda has no scientific basis grounded in rigorous research. No evidence exists to make such claims. Yes, it is ancient, and it is uniquely Indian. But none of that makes it remotely scientific. Science is a set of ideas, hypotheses and results that are testable and tested, and either accepted or discarded depending on the objective evidence gathered in research studies that meet certain standards of reproducibility and repeatability. read more
Britain – Delaying cancer treatment, even by a month, sharply raises death risk
Researchers found that delays in treatment – whether for surgery, radiotherapy or other treatments such as chemotherapy – for seven types of cancers had a significant impact on patient mortality “There has never been a systematic attempt to look at all the evidence on what delays in different types of treatment mean for cancer patient outcomes,” said co-author Ajay Aggarwal, a clinical oncologist and associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “Because we know this is happening to cancer patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is essential to understand the real impact. “The study found that even a month postponement could mean a patient had a 6-13% higher risk of dying. Read more
Philippines – Integrative Medicine Vs Patent Medicine
Testimonials seem to show that alternative medicine works. However, medical testimonials are unacceptable in scientific journals, and court as well as for Food and Drug Administration approval, for three reasons. First, since some conditions are self-limiting, the improved condition may not be due to the intervention. For example, common colds disappear in about one week. Some cancers simply disappear without intervention.
Second, the symptoms of some diseases vary. Thus, the cessation of a symptom may not be due to the intervention. Third, the cure may be due to the placebo effect. Accepting an untested medical cure has three dangers. First, if the cure does not work, you will have wasted money. Secondly, if you don’t avail yourself of or discontinue a mainstream cure, you might deteriorate. Thirdly, if the unconventional approach is dangerous, your life will be at risk. For example, some leaves used as herbal medicine may contain toxic alkaloids. Read more