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Unfortunately, this sort of experimentation will simply lead to much quackery. As it stands, there is no cure for dementia. Allowing every company to market the

Unfortunately, this sort of experimentation will simply lead to much quackery. As it stands, there is no cure for dementia. Allowing every company to market their own "treatment" does not make the situation better. It only allows the companies with the slickest marketing to exploit the elderly (and their families who desperately want to feel they did "all they could"). All the while, real dementia research (controlled, scientific research) may actually slow down as people leave clinical trials because they already bought some medicine.

nradov 5y ago
Dementia is a symptom of multiple different conditions, not a disease per se. Sometimes the symptom can be cured by treating the root cause. For example, an elderly woman I know was experiencing dementia. Her physicians ran a series of tests and diagnosed a bone marrow disorder. The dementia was caused by lack of oxygen to the brain from insufficient red blood cell production. So they cured the dementia by administering periodic blood transfusions.
mchusma 5y ago
Right now it's worse than you state. Any completely unprovem acupuncture, herbal, chiropractic, homeopathic, etc treatment can get sold with basically no restrictions. Only medicine requires science. It's the worst of all worlds right now. You also have to really struggle to convince me that there is an ethical case of banning someone from doing what they want with their own body. I mean, you would probably say someone it is good to donate to medical research. You would also probably say it is good to volunteer for a medical study. But it's somehow wrong to give money to get the treatment? Makes no sense to me.
- jolux 5y ago
  Medical claims have a regulatory regime around them though, and alternative therapies are generally not allowed to make medical claims. This is not enforced as carefully as it should be in my opinion, but it definitely exists.
- jleyank 5y ago
  While it might be a struggle to convince you what you can or cannot do to your body, nobody but you should be compelled to pay for the materials. Given social or insurance based medical systems in most countries, the rights of the many win out.
K0balt 5y ago
So we make it free until verified. Problem solved, filters for frauds, prolongs a few lives, ends pointless suffering in others, and creates a huge block of efficacy data. Win/win

nradov 5y ago

Dementia is a symptom of multiple different conditions, not a disease per se. Sometimes the symptom can be cured by treating the root cause. For example, an elderly woman I know was experiencing dementia. Her physicians ran a series of tests and diagnosed a bone marrow disorder. The dementia was caused by lack of oxygen to the brain from insufficient red blood cell production. So they cured the dementia by administering periodic blood transfusions.

mchusma 5y ago

Right now it's worse than you state. Any completely unprovem acupuncture, herbal, chiropractic, homeopathic, etc treatment can get sold with basically no restrictions. Only medicine requires science. It's the worst of all worlds right now. You also have to really struggle to convince me that there is an ethical case of banning someone from doing what they want with their own body. I mean, you would probably say someone it is good to donate to medical research. You would also probably say it is good to volunteer for a medical study. But it's somehow wrong to give money to get the treatment? Makes no sense to me.

jolux 5y ago
Medical claims have a regulatory regime around them though, and alternative therapies are generally not allowed to make medical claims. This is not enforced as carefully as it should be in my opinion, but it definitely exists.
jleyank 5y ago
While it might be a struggle to convince you what you can or cannot do to your body, nobody but you should be compelled to pay for the materials. Given social or insurance based medical systems in most countries, the rights of the many win out.

K0balt 5y ago

So we make it free until verified. Problem solved, filters for frauds, prolongs a few lives, ends pointless suffering in others, and creates a huge block of efficacy data. Win/win