Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Acu-PUNK-ture

While the Journal of the American Medical Association has lost tons of credibility over the last few years, it is still cited and sought-after by many doctors looking to get published, is quoted in the news, and is widely read. So it is very anger-inducing to see them pander to the lowest rung of society…those who believe in homeopathy/quackery.

Their “Clinical Crossroads” section in this weeks’ issue is especially ulcer-inciting. The mere title alone gives me dyspepsia “A 60 year old woman Considering Acupuncture for knee pain”. If the article was simply two lines that said “Acupuncture is bogus and a waste of money. No doctor should recommend it” I might have enjoyed the article and even applauded the authors of JAMA.

However, instead I find the following disturbing comments. I’ll just list two of my “favorites”.First, and I cannot explain what possible reason they could have for doing this, they actually have the patient describe their scenario. (In this case, an active 60-ish female with knee pain).And I’m not just talking about describing their symptoms. She tells a classroom of eager medical students the following blather:

“I think there is a placebo effect and I think its curious. But that doesn’t
bother me. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. I think the process of our
brains is so interesting, and I don’t get it at all. But I’m okay with
that. If somebody told me it was just a “placebo effect” – fine.”

I see. She doesn’t understand the “brain process”, but she finds it so interesting. Why are we quoting this genius who hasn’t practiced medicine one day in her life and apparently is so stupid, even though she accepts it could all be a placebo effect, she’s STILL willing to pay for something she KNOWS is bogus? (I didn’t include the previous paragraph, where she complains about how much the sessions cost, and that you have to have a lot of them to achieve success… gee, doesn’t that sound an awful lot like a SCAM???) I can’t believe the editors printed this crap. And listen to Dr. Brian Berman pander to this class of rejects. Here’s a brilliant quote:

" To deal with the pain, Mrs. A emphasized that she felt it
important for physicians to take a holistic approach, with
emphasis on the mind-body interconnection. I agree with her. "

I added the boldface for emphasis. This jackass just sold out every allopathic doctor who stands against quackery. He probably sells growth hormone and does that cartilage removal procedure that was discredited years ago. (click here). These people should burn in hell.

5 comments:

Happyman said...

I recently went to a doctor with a bad cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever for like a whole week, and he told me to "ride it out"

I told him clearly that I had the same thing a year ago, and a z-pak cleared it right up. But he wouldn't budge.

I then went to an acupunturist a few days later, and my symptoms promptly resolved (go figure).

I gave the first guy a rating on ratemds.com, and I think he should go back to school or something.

Happyman said...

just kidding about the last anecdote.

Anonymous said...

you're a dope, dr mike. have you even seen placebo effect in drug trials? it's huge! in many pharmaco trials, it's over 30%. so a person receives a sugar pill, they immediately lose symptoms, what are you going to conclude? that there is no connection between what the mind thinks and how the body feels? OBVIOUSLY, the body feels what the mind tells it it's feeling. so when you say mind-body interconnection is quackery, you either a) haven't thought it out, b) are an idiot, or c) both

Anonymous said...

I don't agree with that Mike. I see alot of people get relief with acupuncture especially with musculo-skeletal pain. Happyman you had a virus.

Happyman said...

theatredoc,

let me diagnose my own virus - if i wanna call it bronchitis & take a z-pak, just let me.

you just stick to the donald and his apprenti - meanwhile please educate yourself - see the acp's latest algorithm on treating URI symptoms:

http://www.placebojournal.com/shopexd.asp?id=70

ta ta ;-)