From: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU (Carl J Lydick)
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic
Subject: Re: Homeopathy
Date: 27 Dec 1992 10:51:20 GMT
Organization: HST Wide Field/Planetary Camera
Distribution: world
Reply-To: carl@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol1.gps.caltech.edu

In article <1h7peoINNk5q@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM>, greg@antizen.EBay.Sun.COM writes:
>Here's my experience with Homeopathy so far;
>
>I've been working with a few different alternative health professionals
>since 2 years ago when my asthma made a surprise appearance for the
>first time since childhood. At first I hoped it would go away with the
>allergy season, but after two asthma attacks, one which landed me in 
>San Jose Emergency room for the night and kept me on prednisone for 2 weeks,
>I realized that I had the dreaded 'adult-onset' asthma. This, for anyone
>not in the current informational flow about asthma, statistically is
>very likely to stay with you for the rest of your life. Childhood asthma
>often disappears.
>
>I've been working with an alternative MD (nutrition and suppliments) as well
>as an OMD (accupuncture and herbs) for about 1 and 1/2 years now. My asthma
>has been at a manageble level for the last year and I have been off all systemic
>medications for that long. I do abuse my Albuterol inhaler quite a lot however.

I guess your alternative medicine practitioners didn't bother to tell you a lot
of other things about asthma (for the record, I had asthma as an infant [spent
6 months out of the first year of my life in Johns Hopkins Hospital in
Baltimore], didn't suffer from it between the ages 3 and 18, and have suffered
from it ever since I was 18).  Asthma can be triggered by many things: 
alergies, cold air, stress, to name the three most common.  Now guess what:
Once you're aware of the fact that you have asthma, you can learn to avoid the
things that trigger asthma!  (How about that!).  And guess what?  It can take
years before you learn to avoid ALL the things that cause asthma attacks!  (for
the innumerate out there:  the less common the trigger, the longer it takes to
learn to avoid it.  That means you can learn to avoid the more common triggers
fairly quickly, often [though if, e.g., cat dander triggers the attack and
you're unwilling to part with your pet, it can take quite some time to learn
avoidance of that very common trigger]).  So even for those with adult onset
asthma, IT IS THE NORM, AND NOT THE EXCEPTION, that their asthma attacks
decrease in both severity and frequency over time.

How about that?

All you need is an "alternative medicine" charlatan to claim that this normal
and expected effect is due to "acupuncture and herbs" and you can spend the
rest of your life paying for totally useless treatments!  Ain't innumeracy and
ignorance wonderful?

>My latest journey has been with a Naturopathic Doctor, not recognized as an
>MD in California. We have been working with homeopathy for the last two
>months, using the Nux Vomica remedy.
>
>Up to about 5 days ago we (myself and Dr. Rapp) were considering abandoning
>the first remedy and trying another due to lack of response. However Saturday,
>I used my inhaler 1 time in the morning (1 puff is half a dose) and another
>single puff in the evening. Even on a good day, I normally use it 4 to 6
>times, a total of 8 to 12 puffs.

Gee.  I'll just bet that you didn't know that a LOT of asthma attacks are
psychologically triggered!  Congratulations, you've just encountered the
placebo effect!  How wonderful for you!

If your REAL doctor didn't tell you this about asthma, you *MIGHT* have grounds
for a malpractice suit (I'm not a lawyer, and this is NOT intended as legal
advice;  at best it's intended as a recommendation to consult with a lawyer).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.
Newsgroups: sci.skeptic