Is it just me or are some of the mainstream media outlets becoming somewhat aware of observable reality? After
Newsweek trashed Oprah for her encouragement of dubious pseudo-scientific health claims, it seems others are coming out of the dark with respect to alternative medicine.
The associated press has recently written an article showing that after 10 years of research and the collective tax payer cost of 2.5 billion dollars the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) has produced no alternative medical cures that work better than placebos; the one minor exception being that ginger capsules
may help chemotherapy nausea, according to preliminary research.
One thing the article did get wrong was an assertion that acupuncture can treat certain conditions, when in fact it does not hold up any better than "sham acupuncture" (i.e. placebo)--which they do state later in the article with respect to a study done specifically on knee arthritis.
NCCAM's research is an empty, financially vacuous entity that pulls finances from research with scientific plausibility. There was a vote held back in January (through the citizen's briefing book idea) to defund the NCCAM. Let's hope the motion passes.
I know I said I'd be on hiatus for a little while, however, I pulled some of the tendons in both my knees (I tried to double the usual number of miles I run), leaving me unable to attend to some of the real world obligations I thought would keep me away from xanga for the next week, so I will probably be on a little more than I had originally anticipated.
Comments (4)
Hey man, speaking of help for chemo patients I wondered how your uncle is doing?
I hope the treatments aren't too rough on him.
Sorry to hear about your injury.. I've been trying to run on the
street/sidewalks lately, it is hell on your joints/knees/everything.
Be well, *~matthew~*
@bleuzeus - The treatments are pretty rough on him, but he's in good spirits.
I'm saying some sham hamstring prayers for you, and I called my quack, whom I have on retainer BTW, and he said I should swallos two sugar pills and three fingers of gin in a quart-sized jar, and light an votive candle for you, then dance around my sofa for an hour singing sustaining songs,, and you'd feel better. Unfortunately, I nailed the sofa to the floor so the cats wouldn't rearrange the furniture while I'm sleeping; thus the sofa dance is off theagenda. I hope you recover without my having to free my sofa.
Relative to getting your knees back in shape, do they still have the Psychic Hotline?
No worries about the sofa; I had someone come in and feng shui mine to help me heal quicker.