4 ms·

That is a bit of a mischaracterization. There will always be anecdotal evidence of unscientific or proto-scientific approaches working some of the time. The pro

by abalone 10y ago

That is a bit of a mischaracterization. There will always be anecdotal evidence of unscientific or proto-scientific approaches working some of the time. The problem is that overwhelmingly most of the time they don't. That malarial treatment for example was not "long been used in traditional medicine." It was discovered in an ancient text and not part of contemporary traditional Chinese medicine, which had "forgotten" it and replaced it with ineffective treatments, due to its fundamentally unscientific nature. It was only through science that they separated what actually works from the vast bulk of placebos.

tomhoward 10y ago
Wormwood-based remedies for parasitic infections have been consistently used in folk medicine in Europe and Asia for many centuries. Is it really such a simple truth that it had been "forgotten" and "replaced ... with ineffective treatments"? Or could it be something more nuanced, like that malaria ceased to be a problem in areas where this particular wormwood-based treatment had previously been in use? Regardless, wormwood-based remedies have remained widespread in various forms. Yes, of course it took modern medical research practices to convert into a potent form, demonstrate its efficacy and combine it with other agents for maximum benefit against malaria. But it also took someone - one person - to be willing to go against the tide of vicious contempt towards traditional medicine like that which has been on full display upthread here, and painstakingly study the ancient literature and see where it might lead. That's one person who I'm quite sure would not ever have said anything like "I wouldn't mind if they weren't so insistent on preaching their bullshit everywhere they go and trying to pass it off as having any basis". It's all very well to casually dismiss all non-mainstream remedies with "the problem is that overwhelmingly most of the time they don't", just as it's all very well to dismiss every new startup or technological innovation as being highly likely to fail. At least 95% of the time you might be right, but the time you're wrong is when it matters most, when you're talking about a new remedy for malaria, or, perhaps one day, a remedy for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Please just keep it in mind. Millions of lives saved already, because one person was able to suppress the temptation to sneer and let their curiosity win out.

by abalone 10y ago

tomhoward 10y ago

Wormwood-based remedies for parasitic infections have been consistently used in folk medicine in Europe and Asia for many centuries. Is it really such a simple truth that it had been "forgotten" and "replaced ... with ineffective treatments"? Or could it be something more nuanced, like that malaria ceased to be a problem in areas where this particular wormwood-based treatment had previously been in use? Regardless, wormwood-based remedies have remained widespread in various forms. Yes, of course it took modern medical research practices to convert into a potent form, demonstrate its efficacy and combine it with other agents for maximum benefit against malaria. But it also took someone - one person - to be willing to go against the tide of vicious contempt towards traditional medicine like that which has been on full display upthread here, and painstakingly study the ancient literature and see where it might lead. That's one person who I'm quite sure would not ever have said anything like "I wouldn't mind if they weren't so insistent on preaching their bullshit everywhere they go and trying to pass it off as having any basis". It's all very well to casually dismiss all non-mainstream remedies with "the problem is that overwhelmingly most of the time they don't", just as it's all very well to dismiss every new startup or technological innovation as being highly likely to fail. At least 95% of the time you might be right, but the time you're wrong is when it matters most, when you're talking about a new remedy for malaria, or, perhaps one day, a remedy for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Please just keep it in mind. Millions of lives saved already, because one person was able to suppress the temptation to sneer and let their curiosity win out.