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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 7:47:38
Various aspects of complementary and alternative medicine are not appealing to me... but I think I can sum up what does appeal in one sentence:
It gives me a feeling of being in control.
I can buy the products, I can choose what to take and what not to take, I can decide on the dose, I'm not dependent on anyone else for the provision of treatment. I think this produces a psychological benefit and a reduction in stress.
I think conventional medicine can sometimes create a feeling of not being in control, which is potentially stressful.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 26, 2015, at 9:24:06
In reply to Complementary medicine and feelings of control, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 7:47:38
Ed,
I think that you make some good points, and I agree with you that utilizing alternative and complementary treatments does tend to lend itself toward feeling more in control relative to taking a medication exactly as directed by a prescribing professional. Compared with taking prescribed medications, using alternative and complementary treatments does give us more freedom to control for when we take our supplements and how much to take, and we don't necessarily have to feel pressured to get professional approval before discontinuing treatment if we decide to do that. At the same time, the freedom that I speak of does have its downside, as those who utilize alternative and complementary treatments oftentimes miss out on the expert knowledge and guidance about treatments that a prescribing professional can provide. So, along with the greater ease of access that comes with alternative and complementary treatments comes a greater potential for inadequate and/or improper use of these treatments, whether this is intentional or not on the part of those utilizing the treatments. So, yes, utilizing alternative and complementary treatments can give those of us who use such treatments greater feelings of control over our treatment, but I think that this can potentially lead to both positive and negative consequences.
Tomatheus
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 26, 2015, at 10:01:15
In reply to Re: Complementary medicine and feelings of control » ed_uk2010, posted by Tomatheus on January 26, 2015, at 9:24:06
I agree with everything you've said T.
I have continued my prescribed medication as well. I'm aware of the potential for interactions with some products but I'm not taking anything likely to interact at the moment. So... it's going OK for now.
Posted by Christ_empowered on January 26, 2015, at 14:46:57
In reply to Re: Complementary medicine and feelings of control » Tomatheus, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 26, 2015, at 10:01:15
I do think there are control and power, self-empowerment issues w/alternative medicine, and there's also a lack of guidance because it seems that alternative docs and more conventional docs just don't talk to each other, at least not until alternative treatments make their way into mainstream medical journals.
Also...some alternative docs are a bit...how do I put this nicely...questionable? There's also the lack of access to contend with. I do Orthomolecular. There are very few, old school OM practitioners around. OM made inroads into psychiatry in the 60s and 70s and then...mainstream psychiatry shrugged OM off. That was that, more or less.
Posted by ed_uk2010 on January 27, 2015, at 6:54:04
In reply to Re: Complementary medicine and feelings of control, posted by Christ_empowered on January 26, 2015, at 14:46:57
>it seems that alternative docs and more conventional docs just don't talk to each other
Both forms of medicine are often guilty of trying to make each other look bad!
>Also...some alternative docs are a bit...how do I put this nicely...questionable?
Oh yes. That's more than true :)
You're right about self-empowerment btw. That's a good way of putting it.
Posted by linkadge on January 30, 2015, at 16:59:47
In reply to Re: Complementary medicine and feelings of control » Christ_empowered, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 27, 2015, at 6:54:04
Hi Ed,
I agree with you. I feel somewhat helpless with being dependant on the doctor for not only the prescription, but the waiting for appointments and dosage adjustments, changes etc. I also feel that certain side effects make me feel helpless.
Also, I feel that taking a fixed dose of the same medication every single day, can actually not produce the best outcome. The brain is dynamic an fluid. Changing the treatment every now and again can feel therapeutic, even if the old treatment was sort of working.
Linkadge
Posted by Chris O on February 2, 2015, at 23:16:46
In reply to Complementary medicine and feelings of control, posted by ed_uk2010 on January 25, 2015, at 7:47:38
Ed:
I completely concur with your assessment (that being in control is a strong motivator in choosing "alternative" treatments to pharmaceuticals). It is probably the primary underlying motivation in my trying so many non-pharmaceutical supplements as a treatment option.
However, I think another motivation (for me) is the now accepted Romantic (in the philosophical sense) cultural meme that non-western or pre-scientific/rational ways of approaching medical/psychological issues may have some more mystical synergistic (spiritually and physically) effects on us. Since the 1960s (in North America, at least), this meme has gained more and more "mainstream credibility," probably due to increasing skepticism toward a Calvinist/literalist adherence to Judeo-Christian tradition, in my opinion.
Posted by ed_uk2010 on February 11, 2015, at 20:19:54
In reply to Re: Complementary medicine and feelings of control » ed_uk2010, posted by Chris O on February 2, 2015, at 23:16:46
>more mystical synergistic (spiritually and physically) effects on us....
I suppose I think of some forms of alternative medicine as being rather mystical. Reiki, for example. I wouldn't think of vitamin-based treatments as mystical though. Herbs, I don't know. Traditional herbal medicine was very mystical. Modern herb-based treatments much less so.
This is the end of the thread.
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