Nathan had two choices about what he wanted to rant about on his blog today: suicide bombers or New Age healers. He chose the former, so I'll cover the latter.
I won't say what this is in relation to, but I will say that I have come face-to-face with a world I have purposefully ignored for a very long time. That is the world of holistic, new age, homeopathic, naturopathic, or otherwise fruity healing. Now, don't get me wrong...I'm pretty fond of any home remedy that can be used in lieu of store-bought chemicals. In addition to this, I'm generally against the use of medication for the alteration of moods or brain chemistry. And I think the traditional medical community has some severe shortcomings. My thoughts on that matter can be found in this post from over a year ago.
But it's new age I'm after here. So here's my main bit of advice: If someone tells you that something is good for you, or something strange exists that people don't know about, or that anything at all is "proven by science," don't just take their word at face value. We live in a wonderful age where Google can help you find the answer to almost anything, and if you want the answers faster, places like Wikipedia, the Straight Dope, and Skeptic's Dictionary are fantastic resources. And once you've gotten the answer from one of these sources, don't believe it either. Wikipedia can be wrong, and so can Cecil. But if you get the same story from several reputable sources, its chances of being true are far greater than something you heard your neighbor tell you about a new "science".
Just because you want to believe something is true does not make it so. Don't mistake me for thinking that a little faith isn't good for humanity...I really think that faith is an important and valuable part of humanity that should not be done away with. But these treatments that are prescribed and performed by new age healers are at best placebos and at worst dangerous. I've had fully-grown, educated individuals pass on erroneous information to me about such topics as the health dangers of milk, the benefits of fire cupping, the "truths" that Edgar Cayce espoused as relayed to them by the Discovery Channel, the existence of ley lines, fasting and the purging of bodily toxins, and more. The list of new age healing techniques is wide, varied, and even involves complex machinery.
Of course rampant lying goes way beyond new age B.S. (the urban legend of Orangelo and Lemonjello, anyone?), but when it comes to matters of health, I get a bit touchy. Do you wonder if acupuncture or chiropractic "medicine" are effective? Do you wonder what color your aura is, whether you have a chakra, or how your chi is doing? Do some due diligence and check out at least one of these sources. Think your child might be one of the Indigo Children? Read up on it a little bit!!! Kryon?? I ask you...
All I'm saying is, before you believe every cockamamy notion that someone tells you has been proven by science, do yourself a favor and read up on it just a little. A little skepticism and due diligence never hurt anyone. I know this may come off as hypocrisy coming from a person of faith, but I truly see a difference, and if you don't understand how that's possible, I'll be happy to explain.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
10 comments:
Yeah, we talked about it the other day as well. When it comes to chiropractic care, there's only so angry I can get. I hate chiropracters for being quacks. And I hate the ones that don't know they're quacks for being idiots. People that patronize chiropracters are different in my opinion, mainly because they're in pain and they'll do anything to get rid of it. I just feel like any benefits that come from chiropractic care are either based on the same effects as having a good massage, or are a placebo effect. And at the worst, chiropractic care can be horribly dangerous. Spine manipulation? That's nothing to play around with.
Yeah, the chiro helped me alot but when he started talking to me about having my kid see him too, that made me wary (well that and the fact that he hit on me all the time). I did like the approach of eating well and excersize as opposed to taking meds and seeing the doc everytime you sneeze. As for the acupuncture...I have had neddling done and that is a tad different. Its where they take a needle and stick it deep into the muscle tissue making it spasm. I had these huge painful knots in my shoulder for years. They gave me steroids, phys therepy you name it. As soon as that needle went in and spasmed that muscle it felt better. No Chi was involved or harmed while writing this comment.
I still think that cows milk is evil, only because it gives me horrible shits. Still, ice cream is worth the pain.
I like home remedies (like snorting salt water to clear my snoz) thats because I cant handle cold meds and I am cheap.
What ay I ask spawned this posting? Did some hippy get at ya?
I can't say what spawned this whole thing for confidentiality reasons.
And Dexter, I say the happy ending is a way better reason to get alternative therapies than the hopes of actually being healed.
acupuncture is awesome. It's cured me of a lot of ills, and stopped chris from having kidney infections.
I'd also like to say (quite ouside the point) that I'm probably the only person ever who has had a chiropractor say "I'm sorry, I can't help you." And I appreciated that.
but yes christina, your point still stands - people don't do their research, and that is a waste of time and money, as well as being dangerous and embarrassing
PETA trying to stem milk consumption with a pro-beer campaign - I haven't followed up to check the truth behind that, but I could see it. Seeing as how these are the same people who think that "ethical treatment" of animals is to yank them from bad homes and euthanize them. To probably misquote the comic Prickly City, "Carmen, please don't let PETA treat me ethically." - Winslow the Coyote.
PETA is a group of seriously messed up people.
For sure.
And Kirsten, I want scientific studies that prove that it was acupuncture that cured you and everyone else of their ills. When science-based medicine approves chiropracty and acupuncture, then I'll be happy to participate. Until then, I'll view both treatments as I do ear candling: sounds fun, sure, but I won't do it because of the dangers that exist, and I will view it as a scam.
Flint, if that's the worst example of PETA's tactics, you have a lot to learn. It goes far deeper than euthanizing abused animals...that could be a post of its own.
"I know this may come off as hypocrisy coming from a person of faith, but I truly see a difference, and if you don't understand how that's possible, I'll be happy to explain."
Please do.
I'll be sure to tell my chiropractor all this on Monday. Hey, did you ever get the message I left you on your birthday?
--christina
Yes, I believe I did, thank you! I got a lot of messages, and you know how my memory is...that was more than a week ago! Was it on my cell or home phone?
Biff, response coming by email when yahoo lets me into my email. Anyone else interested in my thoughts on the matter, let me know, but they're not earth-shattering. I'm sure anyone can figure it out.
Christina,
Among all the cockamamy ideas you talked about you failed to remember our friend Quantum Therory and how your molecules are being affected by my molecules!
After all What the Bleep do we know.
Nice rant!
Pete
http://www.petemastroianni.com/blog/
Post a Comment