3 ms·
Slightly OT: calling it "western medicine" is playing into hands of the quacks and woo-meisters who attempt to spin modern medicine as somehow being inferior to
by shrikant 14y ago
Slightly OT: calling it "western medicine" is playing into hands of the quacks and woo-meisters who attempt to spin modern medicine as somehow being inferior to various "complementary" and "alternative" therapies.
- yummyfajitas 14y agoSome of it is inferior. Much like most alternative therapies, a lot of "western medicine" doesn't work. But it's superior in one regard. A faith healer will wave his hands at you + 50 other people for $10/each. In contrast, a doctor will charge you $30 copay + $100 from your insurance company for an equally pointless prostate exam.
- Alex3917 14y agoDownload a list of the top 25 most prescribed drugs of 2011 and let me know how many are clinically superior to faith healing. The entire list is dominated by SSRIs, benzos, statins, calcium channel blockers, antipsychotics, and evergreened drugs like Nexium -- all of which are no better than generics or placebos, and in fact are considerably worse, for the vast majority of people they're prescribed to. Then after that look at a list of the most performed surgeries and let me know how many are more effective than placebo surgery. That's the point the author is making. The belief that you can eat whatever you want and not exercise and then take a pill to keep you alive is really no different than believing that Jesus is going to save you, at least as far as the evidence is concerned.