[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]

Re: NY TIMES SLAMS ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ON FRONT PAGE



In <4qahk2$jim@news.wco.com> Della Noche <dnoche@mail.wco.com> writes: 
>
>Nimnodius <nodrog@itsa.ucsf.edu> wrote:
>>John:
>>
>>I noticed in your recitation that you failed to actually point out what 
>>Gina Kolata's piece said that was WRONG.
>
>Well, ok - I can tell you what I thought was wrong with this piece of 
>propaganda.  And it is that.  When I went to the NY Times Syndicate page 
>to look for an e-mail address for them I was impressed by that big Squibb 
>ad dominating the page.  Cute.  They hadn't posted Gina's yellow 
>journalism piece yet. 
>
>Incidently, my local newspaper cut her article down to where it almost 
>made sense and put it on A5.  Good for them.
>
>Ok - here goes:
>
>jhammell@ix.netcom.com(John Hammell) wrote:
>>                    ON FRINGES OF HEALTH CARE,
>>                    UNTESTED THERAPIES THRIVE
>>           By Gina Kolata NY Times 6/17/96 Front Page
>
>First off, even tho Kolata's article has this headline, there is no real 
>discussion of *why* these "untested" therapies are thriving.  Many of 
>them have been tested but people are choosing to ignore results of tests 
>done in the 1950's and earlier.  There's a lot of good work to be brought 
>forward.  Also non-American test results are ignored - can't trust those 
>backward folks in Great Britain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, 
>and Germany after all - they're not *Americans*.
>
>This whole article is insulting to most human beings.  It's assumed that 
>if we find something works for us that hasn't been "proven" that we're 
>gullible.  I believe that our First World populations are far more 
>educated and less vulnerable to "placebos" than she or the MD's want to 
>believe.   Since my personal experience includes having my reports 
>dismissed by MD's and RN's as recently as 5 years ago that are now 
>standard parts of what many of them are now telling their patients and 
>publishing in pop med articles I believe my body first and them second.
>
>I am snipping some of John's comments here for brevity only.  The 
>original article is at news:4q6c9i$he2@dfw-ixnews4.ix.netcom.com
>
>Use this as an URL and you'll get to the original.  Important info is in 
>the beginning of this post.
>
>>     From green algae pills to coffee enemas, from acupuncture to
>>aromatherapy, alternative medical treatments have grown into a big
>>business and a powerful force in modern medicine, alarming many in
>>the medical establishment and largely escaping scrutiny from
>>regulators.
>
>Now coffee enemas is a good one to get people going (sorry, couldn't 
>help myself) off on this topic.  The green algae pill mention of course 
>shows she's spanning the range of "alternatives".   But the coffee enemas 
>prejudice the whole thing from the start.  Nice rhetoric.

Indeed, nice rhetoric. The article was _YELLOW JOURNALISM_ at its worst. As a
journalist, I am professionally offended but it, and urge people to complain en
masse to the NY Times. I alerted all the people who were attacked in the article,
and they and OAM will be writing letters to the Editor of the NY Times. If
regulators want to do something to help cancer patients, let them begin by taking
a good, long, objective look at all mainstream modes of cancer treatment. Let
them examine the numerous ways in which people are being _KILLED_ by iatrogenic
illnesses. Let them carefully assess the use of chemotherapy and radiation. Let
them carefully assess the incidence of tardive dyskinesia in our psychiatric
system. Let them cut way way way down on their use of ECT and seclusion rooms. I
don't want to hear any more of this garbage about the alleged weirdness
of alt.med. I think ECT is pretty weird, and also know a lot of people
who suffer from tardive dyskinesia, which is entirely preventable- its
a manganese deficiency caused by neuroleptic meds... 

PEOPLE: If you want to help us win the war, you MUST take a minute to
call your Senators and Congressman and ask them to COSPONSOR The Access
to Medical Treatment Act, which keeps the FDA OFF THE BACKS of
alt.med.practitioners, provided they are duly licensed, and provided
they properly inform you of any known hazards associated with any non
mainstream treatment. Its HIGH TIME insurance reimbursed us for the
medical treatments of OUR CHOICE!!! Help pass the Access to Medical
Treatment Act by calling your Senators and congressman thru
800-962-3524. Tell them its a freedom of choice issue, and few things
are more fundamentally important to Americans than Freedom. Tell them
to co sponsor S.1035 in the Senate, and HR 3103 in the House. See my
other post for the list of Senate Labor committee members who haven't
yet cosponsored, and see the list of House conferrees. The Senate
conferrees haven't been named yet.
-- 
 John Hammell, Political Coordinator, The Life Extension Foundation
            800-333-2553, 305-929-2905, 305-929-0507 FAX
      jhammell@ix.netcom.com  http://www.lef.org/lef/index.html
**For Complimentary Copy Life Extension Magazine-Send Street Address**
******International Health Alliance (I.H.A) Now Forming to Oppose***** 
The Codex Alimentarius Commission re Restrictions on Dietary Supplements
  European Assistance Especially Needed- email phone/fax/street address

References: