No It's Not All About Choice
A while back I wrote about "choice" in the alt. med arsenal - how some people think that we need less government interference telling us what to do and more freedom of choice in determining our own health care. As much as it pains me to say it, I am strongly opposed to this method for a very simple reason. IT DOES NOT WORK. People cannot handle the all or nothing "choice" method because there is simply too much to handle. leora made some very good points in the comments, as that post was my initial verbalizing & I didn't get everything out that I wanted to.
Well, here is a perfect example of why "choice" is not really and why we need better regulation. The story of Desiree Jennings is a tragic story. She's a 28 year old woman who developed some very peculiar symptoms shortly after taking a flu vaccine. Her neurologist told her that her condition was a psychogenic disorder (which doesn't mean "all in her mind" or that she's faking it), but her physical therapist made an off-hand comment using the word "dystonia". Desiree has apparently latched onto the off-hand comment of someone trained in advanced exercise, not in brain function or even vaccine side effects, in direct disregard to her neurologist (y'know, the one with all the training and understanding of how the brain works & whether or not her symptoms are related to the brain and how), and the dozens of neurologists who have reviewed the data after the fact and agreed with him, and she is now spending her time, energy, and money in pursuit of quack cures and charlatans.
As Dr. Novella says in his post: "Desperate patients with controversial or problematic symptoms are prime targets for fraud and quackery. There are sharks in the water ready to gobble up any victims who come their way. ... The public is practically left to fend for themselves, at the most desperate times in their lives, against sophisticated con-games that prey upon their health."
Some of these people genuinely want to help and genuinely believe in their quack therapies. Some of them know perfectly well that they're peddling snake oil and are out to profit on the misfortune and ignorance of others. In either case, Desiree Jennings is spending her money and her time (which, IMO, is more valuable) chasing down ancient mystic pipe dreams when science is waiting in the corner, pleading to offer real, measurable help. It's entirely possible that science will not come up with an answer for Desiree within her lifetime. But at least scientists are trying. They want the same thing Desiree wants - to cure her. I'm sure some of the quacks who have poisoned her with their snake oil also want to cure her, but science at least has a chance.
I understand, I truly do, the frustration that follows when science doesn't appear to have the answer. I turned to woo myself when harried doctors with terrible bedside manner and a schedule that allowed for no personal time to explain things to me caused me to feel that the answers I was seeking would not be found in the arms of "Western Medicine". It was the alt. med industry who acted like they cared and offered me hope that my conditions could be cured.
But the fact of the matter is that they were also unsuccessful, and I spent a lot of time and money chasing after these quacks. Sometimes, there just is no "miracle cure", and sometimes there will be, but not while I am alive. And that sucks. But our best hope for fixing that lies in science, which does not have the answer for everything, but is the only method which consistently and reliably has any answers at all.
Well, here is a perfect example of why "choice" is not really and why we need better regulation. The story of Desiree Jennings is a tragic story. She's a 28 year old woman who developed some very peculiar symptoms shortly after taking a flu vaccine. Her neurologist told her that her condition was a psychogenic disorder (which doesn't mean "all in her mind" or that she's faking it), but her physical therapist made an off-hand comment using the word "dystonia". Desiree has apparently latched onto the off-hand comment of someone trained in advanced exercise, not in brain function or even vaccine side effects, in direct disregard to her neurologist (y'know, the one with all the training and understanding of how the brain works & whether or not her symptoms are related to the brain and how), and the dozens of neurologists who have reviewed the data after the fact and agreed with him, and she is now spending her time, energy, and money in pursuit of quack cures and charlatans.
As Dr. Novella says in his post: "Desperate patients with controversial or problematic symptoms are prime targets for fraud and quackery. There are sharks in the water ready to gobble up any victims who come their way. ... The public is practically left to fend for themselves, at the most desperate times in their lives, against sophisticated con-games that prey upon their health."
Some of these people genuinely want to help and genuinely believe in their quack therapies. Some of them know perfectly well that they're peddling snake oil and are out to profit on the misfortune and ignorance of others. In either case, Desiree Jennings is spending her money and her time (which, IMO, is more valuable) chasing down ancient mystic pipe dreams when science is waiting in the corner, pleading to offer real, measurable help. It's entirely possible that science will not come up with an answer for Desiree within her lifetime. But at least scientists are trying. They want the same thing Desiree wants - to cure her. I'm sure some of the quacks who have poisoned her with their snake oil also want to cure her, but science at least has a chance.
I understand, I truly do, the frustration that follows when science doesn't appear to have the answer. I turned to woo myself when harried doctors with terrible bedside manner and a schedule that allowed for no personal time to explain things to me caused me to feel that the answers I was seeking would not be found in the arms of "Western Medicine". It was the alt. med industry who acted like they cared and offered me hope that my conditions could be cured.
But the fact of the matter is that they were also unsuccessful, and I spent a lot of time and money chasing after these quacks. Sometimes, there just is no "miracle cure", and sometimes there will be, but not while I am alive. And that sucks. But our best hope for fixing that lies in science, which does not have the answer for everything, but is the only method which consistently and reliably has any answers at all.