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Fake Medicine is a Huge Problem
How big a problem is it? 38% of adults and 12% of children big. People want to complain about health insurance companies, and how they want nationalized health care and such. Well, maybe if we took the money that everyone is spending on fake medicine, and invested it in real medicine research, we wouldn't have these problems.
Comments
As an example, my parents jumped on some pretty strange health bandwagons during my childhood. I was under the age of ten, and was pretty much forced to do these things along with them. As an adult, the closest I normally get to any kind of alternative medicine is taking a multi-vitamin (a gift from my dad, incidentally) when I'm sick.
Let's say you went to the doctor, and you were feeling ill. The doctor was being nice, and gave you free pills that they said would make you feel better. You take them, and after a few days you get better. Later on, you find out they were harmless sugar pills. The doctor placebo'd you. You would have gotten better in a few days anyway.
Is that a good doctor or a bad doctor? Would you file a complaint? Would you visit them again? Is it ethical? You weren't given a placebo as part of a randomized scientific study, where you knew you might get put in the placebo group. You were give one and told it was real, biochemically active medicine. You really think that's ethical? If you don't think it's ethical, why would it not be ok for a doctor to do it to a patient, but ok for a parent to do it to a child?
I know a lot of people who go to yoga, and I have yet to find one who believes it squeezes toxins out of their body or what ever it purposively does, they do it to stretch and relax.
I really think this stat is skewing the numbers quite a bit.
9% practiced meditation, and 6% practiced yoga. About 8% reported having therapeutic massages or seeing a chiropractor during the previous year
23% of people are doing things that have good effects on the body. So saying these people are there for the crazy may not be true. I would say that at least part of these people know that it isn't gonna cure their cancer or anything, but it makes them feel good. Messages are relaxing, and that is good for you.
I'm not saying we should keep these things (call them messages and stretching and I'm fine with it.), I'm just saying the numbers are a little misrepresented.
(oh no I forgot to spell check. Did I beat mr. Preiod with my edit?
I think the reason for inflating the percentage is so that the statistician could let the public see that it's a real problem instead of just letting people think, "oh it happens a small amount of the time and we shouldn't worry."
This is a reviewer bias is all, or so I believe. His goals were well intentioned, but that doesn’t make the bias that he didn't account for a good thing. He more or less gave us a study that means a lot less now. I hate when a real scientist does this crap, it's infuriating how someone can preach against pseudo science and manipulation… while manipulating the stats he uses to prove it.
Then again, the article wasn't even about placebos. It was about alternative stuff like flaxseed, fish oil, and other vitamins. That's not placebo, those things actually have beneficial effects.
So if someone wants to take a fish oil pill to help with cholesterol in addition to whatever else they're doing, who really gives a fuck? This is not a huge problem in any way, shape, or form.
This normally wouldn't bother me enough for me to point it out, but you are guilty of doing the same thing. This would properly read "UP TO 23% of people etc." The number could be as low as 9%, depending on how the groups overlap. You are using the highest possible number, which happens to support your point.
Of course, I don't think you are doing this to try and fool me, It is proably a mistake made out of carelessness or lack of knowledge. The same is probably true of the person who wrote that article. Why assume malicious intent?
You probably know at least one (if not more) hypochondriacs in your life. Is it wrong to give them a placebo when they complain about their non-existent illness?
I've given kids plenty of "Popsicle" medicine instead of Tylenol or other pain drugs when they are not seriously injured. Sometimes an injury only needs attention rather than medical attention. This also applies with doctor visits. There is a certain segment of the population that expects some sort of prescription drug when they go in complaining of an ailment. I consider it a good thing if the doc gives them some sugar pills when there is no real ailment to treat. If the patient gets pissed later on when they find out it was just sugar pills what are they really angry about?
Are they angry the doc conned them with fake medicine or are they really angry that they wasted the docs time and both of them no know it?
You seem to be going into that corner where you teeter between holding on to your purpose and becoming those indignant radicals. I know you serve the higher purpose of cognizance, but still, this is how it seems.
In a realistic situation, you would give them a placebo if they were in a serious state of panic and then refer them for psychiatric help to solve the root of the problem.