alek0

I definitely agree with this. I have tried several kinds of bcps to get some releif from the pain. Each one caused me almost constant migraine (I've had migraines before), so I gave up. Other possibilities of treatment - repeated laparoscopies until you get sick and tired of it and get hysterectomy, drugs that put you into menopause, or hysterectomy right away didn't sound all that attractive to me. My doctor advocated hysterectomy as most certain (but not 100% certain) way of getting releif since I don't want kids.

So I decided to see if there is any other way for me to get pain releif, and I found one, and the one which makes sense at that (diet+herbs). Good "side effect" is that my migraines have become less frequent (from once every two weeks to once every 6 months or so). I don't think that what I am doing is stupid, it would have been stupid to just go and have hyst. at 27. I do not claim that what I am doing will help every endometriosis sufferer, though I firmly beleive that diet modifications can make a difference. Now can anyone tell me what harm does it do to change diet and occasionally take herbal supplements (moderate quantity, well known herbs)?

It is easy to laugh at stereotypes. But many people turn to "alternative" or "complementary" not because they beleive in mumbo-jumbo on restoring balance etc., but because they have found no releif in traditional treatments. What the hell is wrong with trying something else if what yo've tried before didn't work?

atombuddy

If they do some double blind tests on these cures, and come up with significant results, then I'll listen. Until then... I'll go to the doctor.

Someone7

Is there a homeopathic cure for gullibility?

Oolon Colluphid

Erm, balance so the kid doesn’t fall over and bump her head again?

Oolon

MrDarwin

Corona688

I don't think we're arguing the same thing... Some 'homeopathic' chemicals CAN have an effect(Though there are a great many of them that are sheer bullcrap), but if they do, we do not know WHY they work. Which means we know little to nothing about their potential side-effects, short or long term.

Infact, some of them are downright harmful. Bee pollen, for example, is a nasty mixture containing nearly every known allergen. And they sell it - as a remedy, to make people BETTER. And people take it, swell up sniffle and sneeze violently, and think 'WOW! This must really be doing something!'

What we're arguing about is the need for standards and testing. Without these, they COULD easily be selling pure snakeoil and noone would ever know.

DRFseven

Nothing; you'd be stupid not to.

DRFseven

By the way, alek, have you tried sumatriptan for migraine? 80% achieve relief.

Dannyboy

Damn, i seem to have started a riot. Sorry about that.

Bree, i don't know why you think that people were mocking or ridiculing you. i thought that i treated your testimony with nothing but respect. If you received a different impression then i apologise.

From what you say, it seems that your therapy is not classically homeopathic in the sense that most people understand the term - that is, extremely high dilutions of a substance which produces similar effects to the illness being treated. Whatever it is, i'm glad it works for you.

If people are overly hostile to homeopathy and other alternative remedies, it is because these treatments can, directly or indirectly, kill people. Reason enough, i think.

Veil of fire, as you say, many conventional therapies originate in natural products. That rather contradicts your suggestion that the arrogant, profit-seeking medical research establishment refuses to test or use natural remedies because you can't patent a plant.

There have been quite a number of studies done on the efficacy of homeopathy, and they almost invariably turn in negative results. That doesn't affect the faith homeopaths have in their remedies though. The point being that homeopathy (as the evidence against it mounts) is largely a faith-based therapy, which is neither a safe nor a responsible way to treat people.

i haven't seen anyone suggest that we do away with all natural remedies. Just the ones that don't work.

Mr Darwin said pretty much everything else i wanted to (cheers Charlie), except....

Let's not undervalue the placebo effect. Conventional practitioners use it every day, and it does good things. If a doctor recommends a pill it will invariably make more of a difference to a patient's condition than one the doctor said probably wouldn't work but wanted to try anyway. People say 'it's just the placebo effect' like that couldn't possibly account for anything. Well it can. It's a powerful force.

Oolon - that John Diamond book is superb. The foreword by Richard Dawkins is also worth reading.

Dannyboy

Corwin

Well then let's just rely on 'classical surgery.' So what if it had about a 5% survival rate? At least it'll be 'real surgery.'

Disciplines grow and change and develop.