If it looks like a duck...then it must be Quack medicine
One of the largest wastelands of medical science is something that has evolved into being called Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). What is CAM? There’s no clear definition, but the epicenter for this pseudo-medicine is the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) which was funded by the US Congress to be a part of the National Institutes of Health. They define CAM as CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. The most common CAM therapies are homeopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathy and herbalism. Typical of most pseudosciences, it does not rely upon the scientific method to generate results, it usually appeals to emotion, such as the great Big Pharma conspiracy against these potentially life-saving therapies.
I think that individuals should choose the therapy that they want, especially if it does no harm. If I had a chronic and terminal disease, I might choose an alternative therapy. If someone chooses to consume vast amounts of vitamin C to prevent cancer, despite little or no evidence that it works, that is their choice. What is troubling is when CAM is offered as an appropriate replacement to evidence based medicine, that is, “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.” Best evidence relies upon scientific and clinical research, publication in peer-reviewed (and respected) journals, and sometimes, the opinions of respected authorities in the field.
The National Institutes of Health is a US government agency responsible for biomedical and health related research. One of the “centers” of NIH is NCCAM, which was established in 1991 by order of Congress. In fact, Senator Tom Harkin (D, Iowa) pushed for the formation of the center because he had been cured of allergies by taking bee pollen supplements, despite the fact that there is no scientific evidence that bee pollen would do so. In fact, there’s more evidence that bee pollen will cause an adverse allergic reaction.
Sadly, NCCAM has wasted over $1 billion since its founding. During that time precisely few, if any, alternative therapies have been shown effective by NCCAM. I reviewed some of the studies (reading how much is wasted here causes tachycardia, so I have to limit my reading), and I was singularly unimpressed. We found out that echinacea did not prevent the common cold. Or that acupuncture does no better than a placebo in treating irritable bowel syndrome. I just picked two that were published, but most of the studies weren’t published because they were utter failures.
The problem with NCCAM, other than wasting money that go to real medical research, is that it funds research based on theories that are not scientific. Homeopathy, one of the most laughable CAM therapies, is a two step process. First, you need to find a compound that causes symptoms similar to the medical condition that one has. I suppose hot peppers placed in the nasal cavity would be a compound that causes symptoms of a common cold. Then, the homeopath makes a potion by serially diluting the compound to the point where no molecules of the compound exist in solution. Supposedly, the potion contains a memory of the original compound. Homeopathy is based on a theory that is not grounded in basic physics or chemistry. Water does not retain memories. And homeopathy cannot work on science alone. Yet NCCAM funds research in the field. This is a waste.
Surprisingly, Senator Harkin agrees that it’s a waste, but for a somewhat different reason than I or other science-based professionals would consider. NCCAM has shown that most alternative therapies are, in fact, worthless. I’m not sure that there are many ways for me to put it, but these therapies waste money for individuals and heath care plans, while providing no benefit to patients. But the esteemed bee pollen Senator says:
“Clearly, the time has come to “think anew” and to “disenthrall ourselves” from the dogmas and biases that have made our current health care system – based overwhelmingly on conventional medicine – in so many ways wasteful and dysfunctional.“
Clearly Senator Quackery, I mean Harkin, is misinformed on what is wasteful and dysfunctional. Waste is sending money to NCCAM, even when it has brought no magical therapy into medical use, despite 15 years and $1 billion of effort. Waste is pretending that science doesn’t matter. Waste is telling a patient that Big Pharma is hiding potential cures for their disease. Waste is someone buying a homeopathic potion that is essentially and chemically just water.
Let me quote something I read recently:
In other words, the FDA took political expediency rather than sound medical and scientific review to change the availability of the drug. The Judge then proceeded to attack the interference from politically appointed commissioners in the decision process:
There is no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data or unproven medicine, for which scientific evidence is lacking. Whether a therapeutic practice is “Eastern” or “Western,” is unconventional or mainstream, or involves mind-body techniques or molecular genetics is largely irrelevant except for historical purposes and cultural interest…—Fontanarosa PB, Lundberg GD, “Alternative medicine meets science”, JAMA 280:1618–9, 1998
Maybe NCCAM will show something worthwhile. There are herbs and supplements that may help people live longer. But as long as NCCAM funds research based on unscientific hypotheses, then they will never discover a new medical therapy. Research should always stretch the bounds of imagination–progress happens when a visionary finds a new path to a solution. But ignoring the essential biological and physical laws is not visionary, it’s denialism. Senator Harkin and his pet project, NCCAM, are not going to make us healthier. That’s a fact.
By Michael W Simpson
I think that individuals should choose the therapy that they want, especially if it does no harm. If I had a chronic and terminal disease, I might choose an alternative therapy. If someone chooses to consume vast amounts of vitamin C to prevent cancer, despite little or no evidence that it works, that is their choice. What is troubling is when CAM is offered as an appropriate replacement to evidence based medicine, that is, “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.” Best evidence relies upon scientific and clinical research, publication in peer-reviewed (and respected) journals, and sometimes, the opinions of respected authorities in the field.
The National Institutes of Health is a US government agency responsible for biomedical and health related research. One of the “centers” of NIH is NCCAM, which was established in 1991 by order of Congress. In fact, Senator Tom Harkin (D, Iowa) pushed for the formation of the center because he had been cured of allergies by taking bee pollen supplements, despite the fact that there is no scientific evidence that bee pollen would do so. In fact, there’s more evidence that bee pollen will cause an adverse allergic reaction.
Sadly, NCCAM has wasted over $1 billion since its founding. During that time precisely few, if any, alternative therapies have been shown effective by NCCAM. I reviewed some of the studies (reading how much is wasted here causes tachycardia, so I have to limit my reading), and I was singularly unimpressed. We found out that echinacea did not prevent the common cold. Or that acupuncture does no better than a placebo in treating irritable bowel syndrome. I just picked two that were published, but most of the studies weren’t published because they were utter failures.
The problem with NCCAM, other than wasting money that go to real medical research, is that it funds research based on theories that are not scientific. Homeopathy, one of the most laughable CAM therapies, is a two step process. First, you need to find a compound that causes symptoms similar to the medical condition that one has. I suppose hot peppers placed in the nasal cavity would be a compound that causes symptoms of a common cold. Then, the homeopath makes a potion by serially diluting the compound to the point where no molecules of the compound exist in solution. Supposedly, the potion contains a memory of the original compound. Homeopathy is based on a theory that is not grounded in basic physics or chemistry. Water does not retain memories. And homeopathy cannot work on science alone. Yet NCCAM funds research in the field. This is a waste.
Surprisingly, Senator Harkin agrees that it’s a waste, but for a somewhat different reason than I or other science-based professionals would consider. NCCAM has shown that most alternative therapies are, in fact, worthless. I’m not sure that there are many ways for me to put it, but these therapies waste money for individuals and heath care plans, while providing no benefit to patients. But the esteemed bee pollen Senator says:
“Clearly, the time has come to “think anew” and to “disenthrall ourselves” from the dogmas and biases that have made our current health care system – based overwhelmingly on conventional medicine – in so many ways wasteful and dysfunctional.“
Clearly Senator Quackery, I mean Harkin, is misinformed on what is wasteful and dysfunctional. Waste is sending money to NCCAM, even when it has brought no magical therapy into medical use, despite 15 years and $1 billion of effort. Waste is pretending that science doesn’t matter. Waste is telling a patient that Big Pharma is hiding potential cures for their disease. Waste is someone buying a homeopathic potion that is essentially and chemically just water.
Let me quote something I read recently:
The FDA considered the Citizen Petition in tandem with a number of proposals – referred to as supplemental new drug applications (“SNDA”) – submitted by Women’s Capital Corporation, the drug’s original manufacturer. Women’s Capital Corporation sold its right to market Plan B to Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. during the course of the proceedings described below. I refer to them collectively as the “Plan B sponsor.” The first SNDA, like the Citizen Petition, sought non-prescription access to Plan B for women of all ages. After the FDA denied such access, the Plan B sponsor submitted a second SNDA, seeking non-prescription access for women 16 and older. The FDA rejected that application too despite nearly uniform agreement among FDA scientific review staff that women of all ages could use Plan B without a prescription safely and effectively. The Plan B sponsor then submitted a third SNDA, which proposed making Plan B available without a prescription to women 17 and older. While FDA scientists and senior officials found that 17 year olds could use Plan B safely without a prescription, the FDA Commissioner determined that, because of “enforcement” concerns, Plan B would be available without a prescription only to women 18 and older. Putting aside for the moment the specifics of the many claims brought by plaintiffs and the details of each of the FDA’s decisions, the gravamen of plaintiffs’ claims is that the FDA’s decisions regarding Plan B – on the Citizen Petition and the SNDAs – were arbitrary and capricious because they were not the result of reasoned and good faith agency decision-making.
In other words, the FDA took political expediency rather than sound medical and scientific review to change the availability of the drug. The Judge then proceeded to attack the interference from politically appointed commissioners in the decision process:
There is no alternative medicine. There is only scientifically proven, evidence-based medicine supported by solid data or unproven medicine, for which scientific evidence is lacking. Whether a therapeutic practice is “Eastern” or “Western,” is unconventional or mainstream, or involves mind-body techniques or molecular genetics is largely irrelevant except for historical purposes and cultural interest…—Fontanarosa PB, Lundberg GD, “Alternative medicine meets science”, JAMA 280:1618–9, 1998
Maybe NCCAM will show something worthwhile. There are herbs and supplements that may help people live longer. But as long as NCCAM funds research based on unscientific hypotheses, then they will never discover a new medical therapy. Research should always stretch the bounds of imagination–progress happens when a visionary finds a new path to a solution. But ignoring the essential biological and physical laws is not visionary, it’s denialism. Senator Harkin and his pet project, NCCAM, are not going to make us healthier. That’s a fact.
By Michael W Simpson