Panacea

[[File:205a-SIR WALTER RALEIGH AT HIS EXECUTION.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Depiction of Walter Raleigh examining a panacea prior to application]]
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{{cquote|This is a sharp Medicine, but it is a Physician for all diseases and miseries.|||Sir Walter Raleigh upon viewing the axe that was to behead him<ref>''Sir Walter Raleigh by Raleigh Trevelyan (2003). Henry Holt & Co. (2002). ISBN 978-0-7139-9326-4. p. 552.</ref>}}
A '''panacea''' is a treatment or practice claimed to be capable of curing many or all diseases. The longer the list of diseases claimed to be treatable, the higher the chance that the "cure" is [[woo]].

==Woo convention==
Supporters of panaceas often (though not always) claim that there is [[Treat the cause, not the symptom|One True Cause of All Disease]] that the medical establishment doesn't want you to know about (or, at least, that it is too closed-minded to acknowledge), and that can be treated with their preferred therapy. So, for instance, some [[homeopath]]s will claim that this cause is miasms, which can be cured with homeopathic remedies; some will claim that it is [[Unani|humoral imbalance]] treatable with [[bloodletting]] and purging, among other things; [[Fereydoon Batmanghelidj|some others]] will claim that dehydration is the true cause of all disease, and all illnesses can be cured simply by consuming large amounts of [[water]]; [[Buteyko method|some]] claim that hyperventilation is the cause, which can be cured with breathing exercises; others claim that the ''real'' cause is really [[Alkaline diet|pH imbalance]]; and still others will claim that "[[toxins]]" are the cause, and can be removed with pills or [[chelation therapy]]. The mere existence of so many contradictory theories (and contradictory treatments to go along with them, as shown in the list below) is in itself enough to cast doubt on their veracity. After all, they can't all be right.

==Persistence of the myth==
Panaceas are so widespread in [[anecdote]]-based medicine mainly because of three factors: 1) the [[placebo effect]], which occurs regardless of the specific treatment or disease, 2) the fact that many illnesses usually [[Regression to the mean|resolve without treatment]], and that even diseases that [[Improbable things happen|rarely clear up on their own]] can, sometimes very suddenly, undergo [[spontaneous improvement]], and 3) [[misdiagnosis]], which may lead to a person treating a disease they don't have. These are some of the reasons why, as [[Steven Novella]] notes, "If you are basing your claims on anecdotal experience, then any treatment will seem to work for anything and everything."<ref>[http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-cam-worldview/ The CAM Worldview], ''[[Science-Based Medicine]],'' October 23, 2013.</ref> This is also why so much alternative health advice is contradictory; in the area of diets, for instance, what foods you should and shouldn't eat vary wildly depending on who you ask: fruitarians claim only fruits are healthy; many [[vegan]]s and [[vegetarian]]s say meat will kill you, while [[Weston A. Price Foundation|others]] say you should eat lots of it; and some say [[agave]] is a healthy alternative to mainstream refined [[sugar]], while others say it's full of fructose and unhealthy, among many other examples.

==Historical examples==
Some of the oldest known panaceas include [[bloodletting]] and [[trepanation]], which were used, at first, to expel evil spirits from the body, and later to balance the [[Heroic medicine|humors]].<ref name=pbs>[https://web.archive.org/web/20021021191906/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/redgold/basics/bloodlettinghistory.html ''Bloodletting Over the Centuries''], Gilbert R. Seigworth, M.D.</ref> [[Tobacco]] was thought to be a cure for over 65 diseases, including [[cancer]].<ref name=stewart>[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1033728/ A history of the medicinal use of tobacco 1492-1860], Grace G. Stewart, ''Med. Hist.'' 1967 July; 11(3): 228–268. PMCID: PMC1033728.</ref>

== Social panaceas ==
The word "panacea" also occurs in general contexts to refer to non-medical courses of action or ideologies that can fix everything that's wrong with a given situation. 

Social panaceas can fix any issues in [[society]], as any old wives' tale will [[Anecdotal evidence | anecdotally]] [[testimonial | attest]]. Such panaceas sometimes fall in and out of fashion, only to show up again later. You can often spot them coming when you hear the phrase "it's all about ... [insert favored social panacea here]." Or: "what young people all need today is a good dose of ..."

Examples which many people may recognize include:

* [[Corporal punishment|discipline]]<ref>{{wpa|Spare the rod and spoil the child}}</ref> — popular in Victorian days; holding firm in the institution called [[family values|"families"]]; making a come-back among traditionalists
* assimilation<ref>{{wpa|cultural assimilation}}</ref> — once a cure-all for racial issues, until superseded by cultural identity<ref>{{wpa|cultural identity}}</ref>
* [[identity politics|identity]] — along with consciousness-raising,<ref>{{wpa|Consciousness raising}}</ref> helps all self-perceived underdogs and minorities
* [[education]] — a perennial favorite since the Industrial Revolution. (But who will educate the educators, Senor de Loyola?)<ref>{{wpa|Society of Jesus}} </ref>
** right-thinking — the proper product of a proper education 
* [[faith]] — as measured in intensity and unshakability units. An all-time crutch — even though religiously homogenous societies have had their moments.
* [[prayer]] — like faith (above) and communication (below)
* [[critical thinking]] — a secular form of faith. Useful so long as one reaches the right conclusions.
* wrap-around services<ref>{{wpa|wraparound}}</ref> — a fad amongst interventionist politicians and for diligent bureaucrats
* management - widely advocated by managers and by the managerial class<ref>{{wpa|Managerial Class}}</ref>
* professionalism (code-word for [[elitism]])
* leadership<ref>{{wpa|leadership}}</ref> — popular with politicians
** strong leadership<ref>{{wpa|strong leader}}</ref> — for people who like to think of followers as weak
* communication<ref>{{wpa|communication}}</ref> — the panacea of the [[New Age]] of [[Age of Aquarius|Aquarius]]
* self-esteem<ref>{{wpa|self esteem}}</ref> — too vague to be doubted. Will rehabilitate any criminal (identity optional).
* love (All you need is love…<ref>{{wpa|All You Need Is Love}}</ref>)
* [[money]] — the ultimate symbol. (Money makes the world go around…)
* [[dialectical materialism]] (and variants) — when money is not enough
* creativity<ref>{{wpa|creativity}}</ref> — essential for [[Creationism|Creationists]]; also useful for non-billionaires

While some of the above things may generally be good or even necessary for fixing societal issues, they by themselves will likely not fix everything. Societal issues are complex, and thus solutions to these issues must address that complexity.

== List of medical panaceas==
{{collist|2|
*[[Fereydoon Batmanghelidj|Ordinary water]]
*[[Homeopathy|Homeopathic water]]
*[[Alkaline diet|Ionized/alkaline water]]
*[[Reiki|Magical, Eastern hand-waving]]
*[[Therapeutic Touch|Magical, Western hand-waving]]
*[[Quantum touch|Quantum hand-waving]]
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3187/3187-h/3187-h.htm#link2HCH0004 Non-magical, atheistic hand-waving]
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2700/2700-h/2700-h.htm#link2H_4_0004 Patented rods made out of a special metal alloy]
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2700/2700-h/2700-h.htm#link2H_4_0004 Unpatented rods made out of anything at all]
*[[Buteyko method|Breathing exercises]]
*Many, many [[List of medicinal plants|herbs]]
*[[Patent medicine]]s
*[[Tobacco]]
*[[Bloodletting]]/Leeching
*[[Trepanation]]
*[[Orgone accumulator]]s
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20111123111456/http://www.skepticnorth.com/2009/11/brick-therapy-panacea-to-cure-everything/ Brick therapy]
*[[Chiropractic]]
*[[Birthwort]] (highly carcinogenic and can cause kidney failure)
*[[Traditional Chinese medicine#Environmental impact|Rhino horn]] (endangered species)
*[[List of herbs and spices#A|Asian ginseng]]
*[[Vitamin]]s (chiefly [[Vitamin C]])
*[[Detox]]ing
*[[Acupuncture]]
*[[Fire therapy]]
*[[Faith healing]], such as [[prayer]] and [[Christian Science]]
*[[Urine therapy]]
*[[Paleo diet]]
*[[Fun:SCP Foundation|DATA REMOVED]] 
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==See also==
*[[Shoehorning#Alternative medicine|Shoehorning]]

==External links==
*[http://www.csicop.org/si/show/one_true_cause_of_all_disease/ The One True Cause of All Disease], [[Harriet Hall]]
*[https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-miracle-cure-for-everything/ The Miracle Cure for Everything], [[Steven Novella]]

==References==
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