What Do Physicians Think About Alternative Medicine?

[RedOnce]

What Do Physicians Think About Alternative Medicine?

A survey of 276 Colorado physicians was published in the May 2002 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Physicians were asked about their attitudes toward alternative medicine and their pattern of recommendation and personal use.

Nearly half (48%) of the doctors surveyed had recommended alternative medicine to a patient...Interestingly, 24% of the doctors had personally used alternative medicine, and this was strongly associated with the likelihood of recommending alternative medicine to patients. Some of the therapies doctors personally used were: massage therapy (24%), relaxation techniques (17%), alternative medicine in general (16%), herbal therapy (14%), yoga (11%), and acupuncture (10%). In this survey, 60% of doctors wanted to learn more, 24% said they were unsure or maybe wanted to learn more, and 16% said they did not want to learn more.

The doctors recommended these therapies to their patients:

Massage therapy (48%)
Relaxation techniques (41%)
Acupuncture (35%)
Biofeedback (35%)
Chiropractic (30%)
Alternative medicine in general (28%)
Herbal medicine (21%)
Yoga (16%)
Hypnosis (15%)

Surveys were delivered to 705 physicians. Of these, 302 (43%) were returned.

http://altmedicine.about.com/library/weekly/aa061402a.htm

[SpiralHawk]

1. There's Alternative Medicine, and then Complementary Medicine

A point of distinction

[RedOnce]

2. Yes, indeed...

* Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine. An example of a complementary therapy is using aromatherapy to help lessen a patient's discomfort following surgery.

* Alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. An example of an alternative therapy is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of undergoing surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy that has been recommended by a conventional doctor.

NCCAM, National Institutes of Health: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/

[Teaser]

3. speaking as a neuroscientist

herbal medicine doesn't impress me much.

Why? Because it doesn't subject itself to rigorous testing. And when it does, and succeeds, it BECOMES clinical medicine. But when the herbs fail to show a significant effect, people go right on buying and taking them.

[philb]

9. But what kind of experience do you have with information on herbal

treatments. There is a huge body of peer-reviewed medical studies documenting the effectiveness of
vitamin and mineral and herbal supplementation in improving health and improving chronic conditions.

But one needs to understand both what causes a condition and the factors in alleviating the condition,
often health improvement requires more than one factor or supplement.

Most prescription medicines are knockoffs of a herbal rhemedy that is often more effective and safe than the
prescription version if properly used.

And there appears to be much more medical study support for effectiveness of herbal and nutritional remedies than
for prescription remedies in the peer-reviewed medical literature.

We have 3 MDs in my immediate family, one a neurologist, and at least 2 use a lot of herbal remedies personally.
Such as garlic,tumeric, and echinicia,etc.
The other is a retired country GP who has little experience with such.

But while neurologists are good at testing for neurological conditions, I've seen little evidence that they
know what causes them or how to cure them. While its documented that toxic exposures are the main cause of chronic
neurological conditions, neurologists seem to have little background in testing or treating toxic exposures.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

10. You don't believe in addressing neurodegereration with coQ10,

pycnogenol and other stellar antioxidants? I feel for your patients if you have any that is, neuroscientist does not mean you are a practicing physician, but it would be nice if you would give credit where credit is due. There are thousands of papers on medline explaining the benefits of coQ10, carnitine, pycnogenol and others for many degenerative states, and no, they don't become clinical medicines, you cannot patent a bioflavonoid or a sugar for that matter.

[Orrex]

12. By "clinical" I believe Teaser means "actual" or "mainstream" medicine

Here's how it works in just about all cases:

Some species of remedy is put forth by its proponents who swear up and down that it cures everything from fibromyalgia to mange, all couched in very vague terms difficult to test for validity. And they don't subject it to clinical studies, so its claims aren't substantiated beyond hearsay. Therefore, this remedy can't be accepted by the medical community. Not because of some evil AMA conspiracy but because the remedy hasn't been supported by rigorous and extensive clinical trials. The remedy remains a part of "alternative" "medicine."

Or...

Some species of remedy is put forth by its proponents as a treatment for a particular ailment or condition. They make specific, testable claims about its effects, and they subject the remedy to extensive clinical trials, thereafter offering the results for peer review. If these bear out the claims, then the remedy may (after a fashion) be conceded to work. Once verified, it is no longer part of "alternative" "medicine" but gains acceptance by the medical community and is considered actual medicine.

And "medical community" in this context refers to people with advanced training in actual medicine, as opposed to dieticians or homeopaths. These latter may have their specialties, but unless they can document their training in conventional medicine, they lack the expertise necessary to assess their own medical claims with any authority. Revealed wisdom doesn't count, nor does a vast body of personal endorsements.

This can be broadly compared to cryptozoology. Until solid evidence is put forth (preferably a specimen living or dead) a hypothesized animal is essentially a myth, even if there's a lot of heartfelt testimonial evidence about the creature's existence. Once the animal is documented and verified, it is no longer part of cryptozoology but instead falls under conventional zoology.

The same goes with medicine: when a remedy has no support outside of testimony, it is a myth; once it's clearly demonstrated and documented, it's conventional (or clinical) medicine.

[LiberalEsto]

4. I'm getting acupuncture for low back pain.

The orthopedic back specialist I also see was very encouraging. He told me some of his other patients have benefited from seeing the same acupuncturist, and wanted her to send him some information and business cards so he could suggest it to his other patients. He always looks for alternatives to doing surgery.

[Celebration]

5. I tell you what surprises me about this

I am very surprised that a majority don't recommend massage therapy. That really floors me. The ones that don't must never have had back pain. I know a ton of doctors that get massage therapy. I also know quite a few that go to chiropractors (and don't tell their fellow doctors). My orthopedic doctor once told me to take belly dancing for my back pain. I thought he was kidding, but he followed up and got a little perturbed that I hadn't signed up. So, you know, I took a class. Sure enough, back pain gone. It was kind of fun.

[Orrex]

6. I'd have to agree with you there

Massage therapy, by which I mean actual kneading of tissue, rather than mystical hand-waving, has been shown to have enormous benefit in reducing muscle pain and stiffness, not to mention general relaxation.

I've also heard that belly dancing, regardless of any western caricature, greatly strengthens the abdomenal muscles and can even help ease the difficulty of labor.

I once saw a performer flip a row of four quarters on her stomach, one at a time, and then back again--if that's not muscle-control, I'd like to know what is.

It seems to me that anything that strengthens the abdominal muscles can, within reason, improve the strength of one's lower back, too.

[Sgent]

7. Doctor's are often conservative

about recommending treatment outside of their area of expertise (for good reason IMHO).

It took decades for physical therapy to be commonly recommended by orthopods & neurosurgeons.

I know in my area we have at least one DC (Chiro) that works with a neurosurgeon group doing some techniques (although subluxation isn't part of his vocabulary).

Also, well studied "herbals" like melatonin, Fish Oil, and Niacin are regularly used by physicians in my area.

[Warpy]

8. Docs are also willing to try alternatives when they have nothing

to offer. Back in the bad old days before antiviral drugs, they used to refer people with genital herpes to the health food store I worked in for L-Lysine. It may or may not have worked (herpes being one of those exacerbation and remission things open to quackery) but it did no harm.

I'm talking about old guys who were getting ready to retire, too. They had nothing so they tried us.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

11. A pretty good option for quite a few issues is

pycnogenol, up to and including retinopathies, high bg,asthma, some cases of ADHD, chronic venous insufficiency and many others.