Integration of orthodox and alternative medicine

[elettaria]

NHS urged to reject homoeopathyGood. They've been researching it for years, and there's never any evidence that it's an improvement on placebo, nor that the underlying theory is sound. I can think of a number of complementary therapies which the NHS would do well to fund, but I'm talking about the ones which work, which are backed up by a solid

Comments

[elettaria]

I've had doctors hand out sleeping tablets like candy, more than one GP as well. Yes, they're on different ends of the scale, but my point is that there are plenty of people whose needs would be met by stuff on the EO end of things who get prescribed stuff stronger than they need. This happens in other areas too, over-prescription of antibiotics has been a concern for a long time. It's obviously not going to make a difference in cases where they really do need the stronger stuff, but that's not all cases.

Incidentally, I found an article the other day which was talking about aromatherapy and these sorts of issues. It was citing the use of tea tree oil to treat yeast infections and similar. Apparently it was doing very well, and the researcher commented that

"Tea-tree oil is far weaker and acts much more slower than synthetic drugs. But it does have two advantages - it kills multi-resistant strains and it has a broad spectrum."

Williams does not see tea-tree oil as a replacement for antibiotics. He does, however, see it playing a role in particular circumstances. The bottom line is: it works.

That's the sort of role I'm talking about.

I was surprised to read in that article that in the US, there's not much use of aromatherapy applied to the skin, considering that the main way in which aromatherapy is practised is through massage.

Incidentally, it mentions the famous story about Gattefosse discovering the healing powers of lavender oil through plunging his burned hand into the nearest vat, which happened to be lavender oil. I once told this story to an organic chemist, and she looked at me in astonishment and said it was impossible. Chemists never do things like that, most of the stuff sitting around the lab in vats is likely to be hazardous, and you certainly wouldn't just shove your hand in a vat at random. I wonder what really happened there.

[elfbystarlight]

I haven't heard that story, but I have to say I'm pretty skeptical as well. I can't imagine anyone who's ever worked in a lab doing that - the odds are far too high that the vat will be something like sulphuric acid. I could buy an accidental spillage, perhaps.

[elettaria]

Maybe he was doing research specifically on Really Mild Liquids? It's odd, the story turns up in loads of aromatherapy textbooks.