Alternative medicine and therapies

[bouillon]

What experiences, good, bad or indifferent, do members have of this questionable industry?

I ask this, because I've had several, the first of which was quite recent. A couple of months ago, I had several large, uncomfortable and unsightly verrucas. I tried the gels, but they wouldn't shift them. Then I mentioned it to a client of mine, who is a chiropodist. She told me she could freeze them or cut them out, but suggested I first try a homeopathic remedy (I can't recall the name). I was somewhat skeptical, but I said I'd give it a try, mainly to humour her. After a few days taking the stuff, I started to feel really unwell, and my vision kept going blurred. I thought maybe I should stop taking it, so rather than call my client, I consulted a friend of a friend who was training to become a homeopathist. When I told her what I was taking, she said 'No, no, NO! She shouldn't have given you that - it's completely wrong. What you should be taking is...', but by then I'd switched off. I threw the 'remedy' in the bin, and went back to the gels.

Then there was the case of my ex-wife, god bless her. She was bed-ridden for a year with M.E., and tried all sorts of absurd things to cure it. Some were free, like taking cold baths for 30 mins every day, or the 'laying on of hands' by a local troupe of crystal-bearing star children. Others were very expensive - somehow, a reflexologist managed to leech onto her, and slowly began to empty our bank account. Then there was the 'Evening Primrose Oil' - buckets of the stuff. All to no avail.

Perhaps the most worrying episode was a few years ago, when I began to suffer loss of sensation and motor skills in my hands and legs. It was a very scary experience, and it took the medics many months to diagnose the problem. In the meantime, through fear and sheer desperation and on a friend's advice, I contacted a chiropractor and described my symptoms over the phone. 'Oh yes', she said, 'I'm sure we can do something with that'. When I told her that my doctor was advising very strongly against using a chiropractor, owing to his concern that my problem was likely connected to my upper spine (a very sensitive area), her response was 'Oh, they all say that. They don't like the competition - they're always trying to put us down. I assure you that there's nothing I could do that could possibly harm you.' In the end, I decided against it, and a few weeks later my diagnosis confirmed a very serious upper spine condition. When I later told my surgeon that I'd nearly visited a chiropractor, he turned very pale, and told me that if I'd done so, I would almost certainly have been paralysed.

So what do you think, people? Are these therapists (who, in my experience, are generally hippy stoner chicks) benevolent and unfairly maligned healers, bare-faced money-grabbing charlatans, or somewhere in between?

Edited July 25, 2011 by bouillon

[Dixe]

I have heard a lot about this over the last few years,mainly

do you go to the Doctor if there is something wrong with you,

or you try other ways mainly herbal to make you better, I am

not very impressed with Doctors,they don t seem to care,

and just prescibe whatever they want to make you feel

better,but prescribed drugs can also make you feel worse.

I love herbal things, and they have always worked for

me,but I guess at the end of the day it is a matter of

chocie.

[silvermedalist]

What experiences, good, bad or indifferent, do members have of this questionable industry?

I ask this, because I've had several, the first of which was quite recent. A couple of months ago, I had several large, uncomfortable and unsightly verrucas. I tried the gels, but they wouldn't shift them. Then I mentioned it to a client of mine, who is a chiropodist. She told me she could freeze them or cut them out, but suggested I first try a homeopathic remedy (I can't recall the name). I was somewhat skeptical, but I said I'd give it a try, mainly to humour her. After a few days taking the stuff, I started to feel really unwell, and my vision kept going blurred. I thought maybe I should stop taking it, so rather than call my client, I consulted a friend of a friend who was training to become a homeopathist. When I told her what I was taking, she said 'No, no, NO! She shouldn't have given you that - it's completely wrong. What you should be taking is...', but by then I'd switched off. I threw the 'remedy' in the bin, and went back to the gels.

Then there was the case of my ex-wife, god bless her. She was bed-ridden for a year with M.E., and tried all sorts of absurd things to cure it. Some were free, like taking cold baths for 30 mins every day, or the 'laying on of hands' by a local troupe of crystal-bearing star children. Others were very expensive - somehow, a reflexologist managed to leech onto her, and slowly began to empty our bank account. Then there was the 'Evening Primrose Oil' - buckets of the stuff. All to no avail.

Perhaps the most worrying episode was a few years ago, when I began to suffer loss of sensation and motor skills in my hands and legs. It was a very scary experience, and it took the medics many months to diagnose the problem. In the meantime, through fear and sheer desperation and on a friend's advice, I contacted a chiropractor and described my symptoms over the phone. 'Oh yes', she said, 'I'm sure we can do something with that'. When I told her that my doctor was advising very strongly against using a chiropractor, owing to his concern that my problem was likely connected to my upper spine (a very sensitive area), her response was 'Oh, they all say that. They don't like the competition - they're always trying to put us down. I assure you that there's nothing I could do that could possibly harm you.' In the end, I decided against it, and a few weeks later my diagnosis confirmed a very serious upper spine condition. When I later told my surgeon that I'd nearly visited a chiropractor, he turned very pale, and told me that if I'd done so, I would almost certainly have been paralysed.

So what do you think, people? Are these therapists (who, in my experience, are generally hippy stoner chicks) benevolent and unfairly maligned healers, bare-faced money-grabbing charlatans, or somewhere in between?

I could go on for days about this subject. I have had 7 lumbar and 3 cervical operations. The Cervical spine procedures were a total success. The lower back, or lumbar spine is not so easy. If you had a cervical problem, my guess is C6/C7 hernia of those vertebrae it is better to have a bone fusion than allow them to use a plate. I they want to put a plate in, you will lose mobility. The long debate concerning a Chiropractor vs a neurosurgion, the type of Doctor needed to treat spinal injuries is a long argued subject. For a younger person try all methods before considering surgery. But there are times when surgery is a must. And in the United States Duke University has the best programs and the best Doctors in this fiield come out of there. I have had fusions to L45 and L34 and am still up and about. I always looked at chiropractors as legal witch doctors in some respect and they will suck you dry for money and drag out the damn thing as long as possible. Now there are good and bad in all professions. So before you chiropractors come after me, I am saying some of you are doing a good job. Many are not.

[Jahfin]

Loaded Tosh.

[silvermedalist]

Loaded Tosh.

I never would have figured you.

[Jahfin]

I never would have figured you.

It worked for Peter Tosh.

[silvermedalist]

It worked for Peter Tosh.

Is this going to become a habit now? You following me around and jumping on my posts? I tried direct an opinion on topic to Boullion and you could not resist stirring the shit kettle again. Remember the famous shit kettle posted by your dear friend Joel? Hi Joel. Hope you are reading and all is well. This place has not been the same without you.

[ninelives]

Is this going to become a habit now? You following me around and jumping on my posts? I tried direct an opinion on topic to Boullion and you could not resist stirring the shit kettle again. Remember the famous shit kettle posted by your dear friend Joel? Hi Joel. Hope you are reading and all is well. This place has not been the same without you.

Joel is here and actively posting.

[bouillon]

^ Yeah, but he was self-medicating, wasn't he? I don't have any problem with that. I might even have tried it myself, once or twice.

No, my problem is with the charlatans, who push all the latest New Age versions of snake oil - stuff like this, for example.

[Knebby]

Ear candling totally works. It's an ancient therapy. If you had ever done it or had it done to you,you would know this. It creates a vacuum in the ear which draws out excess wax and re-balances ear fluids. I have personally seen this and know at least a dozen people who no longer have to go through painful ear-syringing because they have this gentle and natural treatment instead - and two children who were saved from the agony of grommets because of it.

It's a pity that people like you who know nothing about it feel the need to try to rubbish it, but that says a lot more about you than it does about the treatment.

Oh and that link is clearly contributed by an idiot. The supposed picture of used candles with debris is a complete fake. Ear candles look NOTHING like that after they have been burned, and there would never be that much debris.

*edited because it didn't read very well.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Knebby

[bouillon]

Ear candling totally works. It's an ancient therapy. If you had ever done it or had it done to you,you would know this. It creates a vacuum in the ear which draws out excess wax and re-balances ear fluids. I have personally seen this and know at least a dozen people who no longer have to go through painful ear-syringing because they have this gentle and natural treatment instead - and two children who were saved from the agony of grommets because of it.

It's a pity that people like you who know nothing about it feel the need to try to rubbish it, but that says a lot more about you than it does about the treatment.

Oh and that link is clearly contributed by an idiot. The supposed picture of used candles with debris is a complete fake. Ear candles look NOTHING like that after they have been burned, (for a start, they have been BURNED, so aren't actually there anymore) and there would never be that much debris

Christ, I take a break for half an hour, and I come back to find my thread totally jacked.

Have you even read the criticism on the link, Knebby? Or seen the concerns raised by the Hopi about their name and culture being exploited by these cowboys?

You seem very passionate about the procedure. You're not Biosun's UK agent by any chance, are you?

As for 'painful ear-syringing', I've had it twice and didn't find it at all painful - quite pleasurable, in fact. Plus if one takes the time to keep one's ears clean, one doesn't require syringing. Or ear candling.

[Knebby]

What experiences, good, bad or indifferent, do members have of this questionable industry?

I ask this, because I've had several, the first of which was quite recent. A couple of months ago, I had several large, uncomfortable and unsightly verrucas. I tried the gels, but they wouldn't shift them. Then I mentioned it to a client of mine, who is a chiropodist. She told me she could freeze them or cut them out, but suggested I first try a homeopathic remedy (I can't recall the name). I was somewhat skeptical, but I said I'd give it a try, mainly to humour her. After a few days taking the stuff, I started to feel really unwell, and my vision kept going blurred. I thought maybe I should stop taking it, so rather than call my client, I consulted a friend of a friend who was training to become a homeopathist. When I told her what I was taking, she said 'No, no, NO! She shouldn't have given you that - it's completely wrong. What you should be taking is...', but by then I'd switched off. I threw the 'remedy' in the bin, and went back to the gels.

Did you get rid of them? My mate had a cluster on the ball of her foot for 12 years, she was often in agony, particularly whilst driving ( it was on her clutch foot) and I used to see her wince. She tried every kind of treatment, spent a fortune on gels and freezing agents. In the end someone recommended unfiltered apple cider vinegar to her - which she took daily internally in water with honey, and applied externally overnight soaked onto cotton wool held in place with gaffa tape ( am sure her husband was impressed). They were completely gone within a month - no trace.

[Knebby]

Christ, I take a break for half an hour, and I come back to find my thread totally jacked.

Have you even read the criticism on the link, Knebby? Or seen the concerns raised by the Hopi about their name and culture being exploited by these cowboys?

You seem very passionate about the procedure. You're not Biosun's UK agent by any chance, are you?

As for 'painful ear-syringing', I've had it twice and didn't find it at all painful - quite pleasurable, in fact. Plus if one takes the time to keep one's ears clean, one doesn't require syringing. Or ear candling.

That's totally untrue. Excessive ear-wax or painful fluid imbalance has nothing to do with keeping your ears clean - and btw you should never push Q-tips in your ears, for those who keep"clean" in that way.

I don't see how I have "jacked" your thread - is there a different set of rules for me actually replying to things around here? You need to learn to let go of your threads too - I'm afraid that once you let them out into the big wide net they no longer belong to you, but to anyone who wants to reply.

No, I have nothing to do with BioSun ( who aren't the only manufacturers of Ear Candles),or any of the other manufacturers, yes I read the article. I still personally know people who have benefited from this treatment - and people (including my Dad) who have found syringing to be very painful indeed. No matter what Wikipedia - the fount of all truth and non-bias - might say.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Knebby

[silvermedalist]

Baby oil will clear the ears

[Knebby]

Many Italians used to use olive oil poured in through a paper funnel. This does help with the wax but not the fluid imbalance (often caused by flying).

[Walter]

Did you get rid of them? My mate had a cluster on the ball of her foot for 12 years, she was often in agony, particularly whilst driving ( it was on her clutch foot) and I used to see her wince. She tried every kind of treatment, spent a fortune on gels and freezing agents. In the end someone recommended unfiltered apple cider vinegar to her - which she took daily internally in water with honey, and applied externally overnight soaked onto cotton wool held in place with gaffa tape ( am sure her husband was impressed). They were completely gone within a month - no trace.

I've heard about apple cider vinegar being very useful for many ailments.

It does seem that doctors try to rush through an examination/physical way too quickly and as a result i am currently looking for a new general practitioner. After 7 years or so, I grew very tired of his style and his assistant is a royal bitch too! Plus he was too quick to put me on medications instead of trying holistic alternatives or seeing if a physical change/concern could be due to stress or traumatic events (such as the death of a close family member).

It's tough to get professional advice, when you don't trust the professional.

[ally]

Many Italians used to use olive oil poured in through a paper funnel. This does help with the wax but not the fluid imbalance (often caused by flying).

That definitely works

[silvermedalist]

Many Italians used to use olive oil poured in through a paper funnel. This does help with the wax but not the fluid imbalance (often caused by flying).

They would put olive oil on their cereal

[Knebby]

Good advice for all

ear candles are sometimes a safe alternative to grommets. I know this for a fact. Of course, if this is your child, you are going to BE SURE that this is true.

What idiot wouldn't?

PS Del - don't think I don't know what's going on here, and it's despicable.

Edited July 25, 2011 by Knebby

[BIGDAN]

Verrucas-My wife cured hers with the skin of a banana placed in her shoe.

Dry Flakey Ears-Mine were cured by using OTOMIZE ear spray.

http://www.medicines.org.uk/guides/Otomize/ear%20inflammation/

I was also given Methotrexate for my Psoriatic Arthritis in my hands and it worked a treat, it also cleared up my Ears, Rosacea and facial Dry Skin, after the first blood test it showed that it was damaging my liver so i had to come off of it, nothing now works but i wont be giving up, i'm sure theres something out there for me and until then i'll stay using Aqueous Cream, my face still falls off every week rather than every 2 days.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methotrexate

Regards, Danny

[Knebby]

BEST ADVICE FOR ALL

Seek a doctor who will not gamble on your children's hearing no matter what the medical cost. Don't wait for there to be permanent damage or deafness. I have a cousin who is deaf in both ears from childhood ear infections; it is no laughing matter.

I realize there are many people who try to sell these "alternative procedures", but they are often about making money and risking the health of a patient. Sorry if I am passionate about this, but I could tell you a boat load of "alternative medicine" nightmare stories. Look for the procedures the doctors would have done on their own children. The doctors who will be honest with you.

Cheers,

Brad

The suggestion that alternative practitioners are all charlatans who are dishonest and trying to fleece you is pathetic. ALL medicine was once "alternative".

Complementary therapists will always suggest that you take advice from your doctor before proceeding with their treatments. They will also check for contra-indications.

Good advice is to worry about any therapist who does NOT do this.

[ally]

As our youngest son will attest, tubes do work but , they weren't an option when I was a child so remedy's such as olive oil were quite common and effective.

Edited July 25, 2011 by ally

[bouillon]

Well I'm pleased with all this genuine concern about people's ears. I suppose the jury is out on ear candles, Hopi or otherwise. But it does seem a pretty fucked up thing to be doing to your ears, IMO.

My ears are fine, wax-wise. After the last time I needed to have them syringed - about 10 years ago - I started using olive oil, but that got messy, so instead I now soak my ears under the water-level whenever I have a bath, then gently twiddle a Q-tip around to clear out most of the softened wax. I do this until the tips are practically clean. Usually takes about 4 tips per ear. I have no idea whether this is damaging my ears, but I'd rather do that than have some unscrupulous, money-grabbing quack burn a candle in my ear.

Anyway, for me it's all academic, because my ears have been totally blown since a Motorhead gig in 1978 when I spent the whole set right in front of Lemmy's bass bin, just for a laugh. The damage is done, and cannot be undone. Not even with ear candles.

[Knebby]

Well I'm pleased with all this genuine concern about people's ears. I suppose the jury is out on ear candles, Hopi or otherwise. But it does seem a pretty fucked up thing to be doing to your ears, IMO.

My ears are fine, wax-wise. After the last time I needed to have them syringed - about 10 years ago - I started using olive oil, but that got messy, so instead I now soak my ears under the water-level whenever I have a bath, then gently twiddle a Q-tip around to clear out most of the softened wax. I do this until the tips are practically clean. Usually takes about 4 tips per ear. I have no idea whether this is damaging my ears, but I'd rather do that than have some unscrupulous, money-grabbing quack burn a candle in my ear.

Anyway, for me it's all academic, because my ears have been totally blown since a Motorhead gig in 1978 when I spent the whole set right in front of Lemmy's bass bin, just for a laugh. The damage is done, and cannot be undone. Not even with ear candles.

Most complementary therapists are people making an honest living. This description is very unfair.

But you should be warned that pushing Q tips around in your ears really is bad for them. Ask your doctor.

And what about the Veruccas?

Edited July 25, 2011 by Knebby

[Walter]

My in-laws neighbor, who is the GREATEST mother, swears by the ear candles. I have never had it done to me, but I may be trying it soon as water keeps getting trapped in my ears after swimming in the pool.

BTW, chronic ear infections are also the number one cause of speech and language disorders/disabilities in children.