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The Non-Conventional Medical Marketplace better is this phenomenon illustrated than in the lucrative minor Whilst the remit of this article does not extend to a full explo- ailments market, where, on a daily basis across the world, untold ration of the influence that money has had over the corruption of millions are being spent on pharmacologically inert mixtures and true medicine and medical practice, let the reader be assured that "essences", producing truly marvellous results with illnesses from. conventional medicine has more than its fair share of attendant which we were going to get better anyway."° commercial pressures, and especially so in the world of cancer, as we shall soon discover. The Dangers of Uncritical Thinking Aside from the wiles of the merchant, genuine medicine also In truth, were the general public to be given clear information has always had to do battle with the well-intentioned parahealer,'* on the nature of self-limiting illness and on the wondrous ability who unwittingly has the capacity to prove equally as threatening of a properly nourished immune system to overcome almost all to the cause, but for very different reasons. ills unaided, the bottom would fall out of the minor ailments mar- The non-conventional medical marketplace seems to be domi- et tomorrow, both conventional and alternative. nated by those who are able to deliver an admirably coherent Unfortunately, though, any of the more awkward questions aris- deconstruction of the conventional paradigm, but who choose not ing from this discussion, such as "How can you continue to sell to apply the same level of intelligent critique to their own, often these ointments as 'medicines' in the light of this knowledge?", are wacky, nostrums. usually defended not by answering the actual question itself, but As such, we are subjected to an equally misguided barrage of y the therapist appealing to the worthiness of his wider philan- pronouncements, for example: "Submit not to the ravages of thropic goals and to "the much greater threat to the global popu- chemo—let White Eagle purge you of those negative energies"; lace" posed by the merchant's house with all its toxic wares, "Visit a pyramid, a shaman (‘My sickness is a shamanic gift and etcetera, etcetera. calling’), a cancer 'guide' (‘Okay, group. Eyes closed. Your can- Donald Gould, author of The Black and White Medicine Show, cer is receding. The lump is disintegrating. Envisage the all-con- as warned of the dangers we invite by adopting such laissez-faire suming fire!')" A coat of mud, of seaweed or both, some psycho- reasoning: surgery, some radionics, this therapy, that therapy and, of course, "Why not make the most of what the non-conformists have to a thousand-and-one folk remedies: grandma's trusted "brain offer and to hell with uncharitable logic? There is, I suggest, a tumour elixir" perhaps, a walnut kernel perfectly preserved in owerful reason for rejecting this superficially attractive option. rainwater (seven drops, three times a day)... Truth is a fundamental value. If we accept uncritical thinking in Celebrities with the more serious illnesses receive these well- one area of our lives for the sake of convenience or because of the intentioned "tips and tricks" by the sackload. John Diamond was opular appeal of a seductive myth and the short-term comfort to no exception: e gained by believing in the unbelievable, or because the false "I've had anecdotal evidence from those who believe in voodoo, answer lets us pretend we are competently coping with a painful the power of the fairy people—yes, really—drinking my own roblem we haven't truly tackled, then we are all the more likely p**s and any number of other remedies... I should put my faith to adopt the same strategy in other situations, from dealing with in the Bessarabian radish, the desiccated root of which has been the family to managing the national economy, and from chairing used for centuries by Tartar nomads to cure athlete's foot, tennis _ the parish council to handling arsenals of nuclear weapons. elbow and cancer, as detailed in their book, Why Your Doctor The result is likely to be unhappy and stands a decent chance of Hates You And Wants You To Die, review copy enclosed..."'° roving a disaster. Irrational beliefs are always dangerously cor- Notwithstanding the genuine treatments available in the natural rupting, even when they only relate to the cause and cure of cabinet (we shall discuss this in part two), a huge number of iles.""” remedies being sold as "medicine" today contain no sensible methodology—yet, amazingly, they are selling very well. No Continued next issue... Author's Note: 9. Day, Phillip, Cancer: Why We're Still Dying To __ trial involving 2,000 participants which found that in Please feel free to comment on this report using Know The Truth, Credence Publications, 2000. most cases the mixtures were no more effective than the email address stevel @onetel.net.uk. The 10. Day, ibid. aplacebo. More details at http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/ views of those readers with medical qualifications 10a. "Chemotherapy — an unproven procedure", at english/health/newsid_1807000/1807252.stm. are especially welcome. Thank you for reading. http://www.thedoctorwithin.com/index20.html 17. Gould, Donald, The Black and White Medicine For re-publication details or further information, ttn Gelman kathykeeton-cancer.com Show, Hamilton, 1985. earl OVEVE eeBEE Gre UE 12. Le Carré, John, interview in The Nation, New ena . York, April 9, 2001. teven Ransom is Research Director of UK-based Endnotes 12a. Full story, described as "professional prostitu-. Credence Publications, which investigates busi- 1. See website tion", at http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/ ness and governmental health fraud and provides http://www.cre.org.uk/cancer/cs_mortality I html. 0,11381,646078,00.html. unbiased, life-saving health information (see 2. "Cancer — The Social Impact", at http://yakko. 13. Ryan, Robert, BSc, "Cancer Research — A http://www.credence.org). He is the author of bme.virginia.edu/biom304/notes/cancer.htm. Super-fraud?", at Plague, Pestilence and the Pursuit of Power: The 3. Buckman, Dr Rob, Magic or Medicine, Pan http://www.worldnewsstand.net/health/cancer2.htm. Politics of Global Disease (Credence, 2001) and Books, 1994. 13a, See Dr Tim O'Shea's website, co-author (with Phillip Day) of World Without 4, Diamond, John, 'C’: Because Cowards Get hitp://www.thedoctorwithin.com: , AIDS (Credence, 2000). His new book, Great Cancer Too, Vermilion Press, 1999. a 14. "Parahealer’ : the prefix para-” means Close News on Cancer in the 21st Century (from which 5. Mathe, Prof. George, "Scientific Medicine to", "alongside", "near", "beyond", "irregular". - his "Death by Doctoring" article is extracted) is Stymied", Médicines Nouvelles (Paris), 1989. 14a. Kalweit, Holger, Dream Time and Inner Space, . . 6. Last, Walter, The Ecologist, vol. a no. 2, Shambala Publications, 1998. available at http://www.credence.org/great- March/April 1998. 15. Diamond, John, "Quacks on the Rack", news/greatnews.him. His article, "Population & 7. The Home of Orthomolecular Oncology, at Observer, December 3, 2000, and 'C': Because Food Control: The Corporate Agenda" was pub- http://www.canceraction.org.gg/index2.htm. Cowards Get Cancer Too, Vermilion Press, 1999. lished in NEXUS 9/03. Steven can be emailed at 8. Griffin, Edward G., World Without Cancer, 16. £95,000,000 is spent on cough mixtures alone in steve1@onetel.net.uk. Visit his own website at American Media Publications, 1996. the UK. The BMJ, however, has reported a recent http:/Avww.whatareweswallowing.com. better is this phenomenon illustrated than in the lucrative minor ailments market, where, on a daily basis across the world, untold millions are being spent on pharmacologically inert mixtures and "essences", producing truly marvellous results with illnesses from which we were going to get better anyway."° The Dangers of Uncritical Thinking In truth, were the general public to be given clear information on the nature of self-limiting illness and on the wondrous ability of a properly nourished immune system to overcome almost all ills unaided, the bottom would fall out of the minor ailments mar- et tomorrow, both conventional and alternative. Unfortunately, though, any of the more awkward questions aris- ing from this discussion, such as "How can you continue to sell these ointments as 'medicines' in the light of this knowledge?", are usually defended not by answering the actual question itself, but y the therapist appealing to the worthiness of his wider philan- thropic goals and to "the much greater threat to the global popu- lace" posed by the merchant's house with all its toxic wares, etcetera, etcetera. Donald Gould, author of The Black and White Medicine Show, as warned of the dangers we invite by adopting such laissez-faire reasoning: "Why not make the most of what the non-conformists have to offer and to hell with uncharitable logic? There is, I suggest, a owerful reason for rejecting this superficially attractive option. Truth is a fundamental value. If we accept uncritical thinking in one area of our lives for the sake of convenience or because of the opular appeal of a seductive myth and the short-term comfort to e gained by believing in the unbelievable, or because the false answer lets us pretend we are competently coping with a painful roblem we haven't truly tackled, then we are all the more likely to adopt the same strategy in other situations, from dealing with the family to managing the national economy, and from chairing the parish council to handling arsenals of nuclear weapons. The result is likely to be unhappy and stands a decent chance of roving a disaster. Irrational beliefs are always dangerously cor- rupting, even when they only relate to the cause and cure of iles."” 28 = NEXUS Continued next issue... www.nexusmagazine.com AUGUST — SEPTEMBER 2002