Re: Medicine

D. Eric Greenhow, M.D.,Ph.D. (egreenho@mail.med.upenn.edu)
Tue, 29 Oct 1996 05:43:03 -0500

At 02:21 PM 10/28/96 EST, you wrote:
> In a reply to "Apologists and other Salesmen" I read an "attack" on
>homeopathy, chiropractors etc. Since our doctor is an homeopath, and my wife
>often goes to a chiropath with good results, I am just wondering why the
furious
>attacks on those people. My doctor has a MD degree in (normal) medicine, I
>believe from the university of Toronto. He does not hesitate sending his
>patients to a "normal" hospital, if needed. I can't understand the reason for
>the attacks. A friend of mine (not my doctor) first got an MD degree from the
>University of Amsterdam, and then studied homeopathy. He has bee recognized as
>a family doctor in Holland for 40+ years. My parents and grand-parents used
>homeopatic doctors most of their lives.
>
> As a matter of fact, I find it far more dangerous, that these people are
>not recognized by the medical community, since in that way they escape the
>supervision of the medical associations. That gives more room for people who
>are not qualified.
>
> Also, the argument used: "There is no scientific evidence for the methods
>used." is not helpful. More helpful would be if the medical societies would
>give evidence, that it is harmful to go to a homeopath etc. Thus far I
have not
>seen that. It should, of course, for these practicioners be necessary to
have a
>recognized medical degree, or an equivalent, from properly accredited
>universities.
>
>Jan de Koning
>
>
>My apologies. In my haste I condemned whole groups of individuals when I
should have been more precise in my attack.

There are many fine homeopaths. However I am personally acquainted with a
number of people who have been illserved by being treated for months by the
homeopath whom they know from their church. These people have suffered from
infected teeth, duodenal ulcers, various cancers, asthma and other ailments,
and were being treated with tiny little tablets of something or other, (Kali
mur perhaps?) and when finally started on the more traditional medicines
were significantly better, and in some cases cured within days to weeks. I
myself, when I had Hepatitis-C, was told that what I really needed was
extract of dandelion leaf. All of these examples are from within the
evangelical community, who are also among the biggest consumers of
multivitamin therapy and other substances that have been subjected to
scientific study and found wanting, Re Chiropractic, there are indeed many
ethical practitioners of the art, but when certain of their number say that
95 % of children have latent deformities of their backs, and only by regular
manipulation by chiropractors can they be spared a lifetime of illness, I
find it hard to understand when evangelicals speak so highly of them. I
could give a number of other examples of specific egregious acts, but will
spare you. I do not know why evangelicals are particularly gullible to
these individuals.

Once again my apologies for insulting some worthy people.

Eric Greenhow