Alternative and Complementary Therapies Blogs This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Buprenorphine, Not Subbies
I’ve been writing longer and longer posts on SuboxForum so maybe I need to write more here. This blog archives twelve years of frustration over the ignorance toward buprenorphine, at least until I ran out of steam a year ago. I grew used doctors refusing to treat people addicted to heroin and other opioids. I became used to the growth of abstinence-based treatment programs, even as relapse rates and deaths continued to rise. It isn’t all bad news; I enjoyed the past couple meetings of AATOD, where people openly spoke about medication-assisted treatments without hushed voices. I feel like I’m th...
Source: Suboxone Talk Zone - April 9, 2018 Category: Addiction Authors: admin Tags: Addiction Buprenorphine recovery Suboxone treatment addiction treatment stigma subs Source Type: blogs

It ’s time to start thinking about cannabinoids
A patient comes to you asking, “Doc, my seizures are getting worse, I really hate the side effects of my medications, I want to go a different route. What do you think about medical marijuana?” You start sweating profusely, fidgeting in your seat, thinking of every single reason why not to recommend it and come up with the standard response, “Uh, well, I’m not qualified to recommend it, and it’s not FDA approved, plus we don’t really know much about it. There could be so many side effects.” And then we have the de rigueur reply, “There are not enough large randomized control ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - April 4, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/virginia-thornley" rel="tag" > Virginia Thornley, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Medications Neurology Source Type: blogs

The “ interstitium ” : Interesting science versus PR spin and pseudoscience
Last week, the media were awash with reports of the "interstitium," which was dramatically described as a hitherto undiscovered "organ," a narrative that was definitely a triumph of PR over science that went beyond what even the investigators claimed in their paper. Worse, the investigators themselves even speculated that their discovery could "explain" acupuncture and other kinds of alternative medicine, thus providing an opening for quacks to run wild with their discovery, something I expect to see very soon. The post The “interstitium”: Interesting science versus PR spin and pseudoscience appeared first on R...
Source: Respectful Insolence - April 3, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Biology Cancer Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Science acupressure acupuncture collagen complementary and alternative mediciner featured interstitium lymphatic system Neil Theise quackery Rebecca Wel Source Type: blogs

The deadly false hope of German alternative cancer clinics, part 3: Hallwang Clinic revisited
I've written twice before about German alternative medicine cancer clinics, the quackery they ply, and how they take advantage of desperate cancer patients. Finally, in a disturbing report a journalist has investigated what one of these clinics (Hallwang) does and how such clinics can continue to operate. The post The deadly false hope of German alternative cancer clinics, part 3: Hallwang Clinic revisited appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - April 2, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Cancer Medicine Quackery alternative medicine Farrah Fawcett featured Hallwang Clinic Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic Source Type: blogs

Apple cider vinegar … for heartburn?
I’ve always thought it sounded counterintuitive to use an acid to alleviate indigestion, but the number of times I’ve heard people treat their symptoms of heartburn with apple cider vinegar is too large to count. So, I decided to look into whether this strategy works, and to do some investigation about the idea behind its use. To my surprise, there is no research published in medical journals that addresses using raw apple cider vinegar to treat heartburn, despite widespread use and recommendations from blogs and websites. What is heartburn? Heartburn is most commonly caused by stomach acid contents traveling up into t...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 28, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Marcelo Campos, MD Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Digestive Disorders Folk remedies Health Source Type: blogs

Along with the NIH budget hike comes a less welcome large hike in the budget for quackery for the NCCIH
Earlier this month, Congress passed an omnibus budget bill that provided a large hike in the budget the National Institutes of Health. Unfortunately, along with that budget hike was an even bigger percent hike for the NIH's bastion of quackery, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. How did this happen? The post Along with the NIH budget hike comes a less welcome large hike in the budget for quackery for the NCCIH appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - March 27, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Bad science Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Naturopathy Politics Pseudoscience Quackery featured National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine National Center for Complementary a Source Type: blogs

The World Health Organization: Integrating quackery into the ICD-11
ICD-10 is an a standardized system of alphanumeric codes for diagnoses maintained by the World Health Organization used throughout the world for billing, epidemiology, research, and cataloging causes of death. Its successor, ICD-11, is nearing completion, and unfortunately appears to be taking the “integration” of traditional medicine to a whole new level by integrating quack diagnoses with real diagnoses. The post The World Health Organization: Integrating quackery into the ICD-11 appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - March 26, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Politics Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking Chairman Mao Zedong featured ICD-11 traditional Chinese medicine traditional medicine World Health Organization Source Type: blogs

What patients — and doctors — need to know about vitamins and supplements
A recently published clinical guideline on vitamin and mineral supplements reinforces every other evidence-based guideline, research review, and consensus statement on this topic. The bottom line is that there is absolutely no substitute for a well-balanced diet, which is the ideal source of the vitamins and minerals we need. The brief article, co-authored by nutrition guru Dr. JoAnn Manson, cites multiple large clinical trials studying multiple nutritional supplements’ effects on multiple end points. The gist of it is, our bodies prefer naturally occurring sources of vitamins and minerals. We absorb these better. And be...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 16, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Drugs and Supplements Health Healthy Eating Prevention Vitamins and supplements Source Type: blogs

A bad week for homeopathy is a good week for science
It's been a bad week for homeopathy. First, the NHS in the UK has stopped funding homeopathy in London. Then, news stories appeared about research fraud and a retracted clinical trial of homeopathy for cancer in which the investigators had already been arrested. So sad! The post A bad week for homeopathy is a good week for science appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - March 14, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Cancer Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Homeopathy Pseudoscience Quackery Aradeep Chatterjee Ashim Chatterjee Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine featured Prince Charles Royal London Homeopathi Source Type: blogs

How quacks sell dubious stem cell therapies
More and more, alternative medicine practitioners are offering unproven, almost certainly ineffective, and potentially dangerous stem cell therapies. How are they doing it? The post How quacks sell dubious stem cell therapies appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - March 6, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Bioethics Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery alternative medicine featured integrative medicine Naturopaths stem cells Source Type: blogs

Is adrenal fatigue “real”?
Low energy and tiredness are among the most common reasons patients seek help from a doctor. Despite being so common, it is often challenging to come up with a diagnosis, as many medical problems can cause fatigue. Doctors engage in detective work, obtaining a medical history, doing a physical exam, and doing blood tests. The results often yield no explanations. It can be frustrating for clinicians and patients when a clear-cut diagnosis remains elusive. An attractive theory, called adrenal fatigue, links stress exposure to adrenal exhaustion as a possible cause of this lack of energy. But is adrenal fatigue a real disease...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 28, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Marcelo Campos, MD Tags: Health Source Type: blogs

True believers and scammers in alternative medicine
In the online echo chamber promoting alternative medicine, there are varying degrees of deception. There are true believers (who are often victims), entrepreneurs (who are often true believers who found a profitable business), and scammers. The categories are not mutually exclusive. The post True believers and scammers in alternative medicine appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - February 26, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Cancer Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery alkaline diet alternative cancer cure testimonial alternative cancer cures belle gibson Brittany Auerbach faith healing featured Mari Lopez Mike Adams scams veganism Source Type: blogs

Quackademic medicine versus being “ science-based ”
A couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed by the a reporter from the Georgetown student newsletter about its integrative medicine program. It got me to thinking how delusion that one’s work is science-based can lead to collaborations with New Age “quantum” mystics like Deepak Chopra. "Integrative medicine" doctors engaging in what I like to refer to as quackademic medicine all claim to be "evidence-based" or "science-based." The words apparently do not mean what integrative medicine academics think they mean. The post Quackademic medicine versus being “science-based” appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE....
Source: Respectful Insolence - February 19, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Bad science Cancer Clinical trials Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Pseudoscience Quackery acupuncture Aviad Haramati Chopra Center Deepak Chopra featured Georgetown University Hakima Amri homeopathy Source Type: blogs

Quackery and “ wellness ” : The case of David and Collet Stephan and their son Ezekiel
David and Collet Stephan stand convicted of not having provided their son Ezekiel with essential medical care, which led to his death from meningitis. None of this stopped the "wellness" industry from featuring David as a speaker at its expos; that is, until it started causing bad publicity. When that happened, Stephan was unceremoniously dumped. But the quackery in "wellness" remains unchanged. The post Quackery and “wellness”: The case of David and Collet Stephan and their son Ezekiel appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - February 13, 2018 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Integrative medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Collet Stephan David Stephan EMEmpowerPlus Ezekiel Stephan featured Health and Wellness Expos of Canada naturop Source Type: blogs