The Wall Street Journal reported on November 14, 2008, that a recent National Institute of Health (INH) report reports that one in two physicians prescribe placebos to their patients. The article is about the ethical dilemma associated with giving placebos for medical conditions. It talks about defining placebos, from “a medicine not typically used for your condition but might benefit you” to “a medicine with no known effects for your condition”. The article ends with the recognition that physicians may actually be giving credence to the value of faith.
My comments: Placebos have a 30% improvement rate, better than some medications used for certain conditions, and far fewer side effects (if the placebo is safe). There is a general denial that medications are toxic, that is, many of them must be altered in the liver (detoxified) in order to get rid of them. Some medications are stored in the body fat for years (or a lifetime) because the body cannot get rid of them. Healthy alternatives should be our first option for health care, and if folks don’t want to explore healthy alternatives, then nothing (a placebo) is better than something (a toxic pill).
My doctor says I can get all the vitamins and minerals I need from my food. What is your opinion on this?
I used to say the same thing to my patients, back in the days before I studied healthy alternatives. It is the party line of allopathic medicine, although that is starting to change. Here's the bottom line, and I'll follow up with some info on what allopaths are now doing:
2 responses so far ↓
1 Anna Buchman // Nov 22, 2008 at 7:12 am
Dear doctor Gardner,
I delight in your health secrets and share them with my daughter. I entirely agree that a placebo is better than a toxic medication, in my opinion a lot of medications are produced for the benefit of the pharmaceutical industry, not of humanity. Please continue this great work.
2 Dr. Stan Gardner // Nov 26, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Anna, Thank you for those nice comments. We have a message for the world.
Leave a Comment