Except that some people think they actually know better than doctors, take things to an extreme and cause themselves and others serious harm.
It's horribly sad when people are convinced they can cure their cancer with some sort of natural remedy or unusual health regime, and end up not only not being cured but maybe dying much sooner than they would have done.
It's even sadder when parents harm their own children by subjecting them to an extreme diet - vegan or macrobiotic or whatever - which children can't digest properly and which lacks vital nutrients. Even when the child is visibly sick and in need of emergency medical treatment, they still insist the diet is health-promoting and refuse to give it up.
I just wonder how anyone can be so stubborn and so irrational as to pursue a self-chosen "treatment" based on nothing but subjective belief.
A Florida mother who fed her three children on a strict vegan diet of raw fruit and vegetables was jailed for life for killing her 18 month old son. He was severely malnourished and weighed only 17 pounds (8 kilos) when he died.
If I had some severe illness, I would never presume to know more than the doctors and pursue some eccentric regime I'd seen on social media or heard someone gossiping about. I'd assume the doctors knew better than me, even if they might sometimes get things wrong.
Self medication has its limits.
Nick, we had about 15 years ago very nice neighbours, parents and two teenager boys, when the woman developed a breast cancer. From the beginning she refused the chemio therapy and an operation and started alternative therapies.Drinking a special tea, herbal pills, eating no more rice or noodles, she left for 2 months for a little village in the Swiss mountains where a "Swiss schamane" convinced her to repeat at least a hundred times per day "cancer leave my body, I will heal". It was terrible, when she came back , she was too weak to hold a cup in her hands. She died 3 months later and would have been probably even healed when accepting other therapies. Devastating for the family and legally you can do nothing when the ill person is an adult. There are thousand of such stories.We all take a paracetamol for a headache or tea with ginger when coughing which is of course ok. But for really serious cases we should try to trust doctors.
ReplyDeleteHannah
Hannah: That's an appalling story of what may happen if you try unorthodox treatments for which there is little or no evidence of effectiveness. Why did she take any notice of some Swiss shaman she presumably had never heard of before?
DeleteI wouldn’t blame a vegan diet on the death of that child. It sounded like they were all dehydrated, amongst other things. Nick, while I visit doctors regularly, I realize they don’t know everything. For instance, med schools only do about 3 days worth of instruction in nutrition. For the most part, they are trained on medications and how to keep sick people alive, not how to prevent disease and illness. I think that’s why we are seeing so much pushback on the medical community.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Indeed, the NHS also still puts more emphasis on treating people than on preventing them from getting ill in the first place.
DeleteThere is a balance in all of this and knowing that is important. I have used CBD oil for pain. I would not use it for severe depression. Perhaps moderate, but not clinical. I have a neighbor who thinks cancer is an infection and that it is the treatment killing people, nit the cancer. I just stare and say nothing.
ReplyDeleteSandra: It's the treatment that's killing people? Dear oh dear. I've thought about using CBD but the expense puts me off.
DeleteCancer treatments have killed two people I knew. It happens
DeleteKylie: I'm sorry to hear that. But I guess most medical treatments can theoretically kill you if you are for some reason susceptible.
DeleteNick, I can understand how people would prefer to self-treat rather then seek medical advice and/or treatment. For some it is because of the expense and for others it could be a fear of doctors. Thankfully, neither of us currently have any serious medical conditions, aside from an occasional ache or stomach upset, both of which are treated with store bought meds.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: I'm not saying people shouldn't self medicate, I'm just saying that some people take self-treatment to irrational and possibly harmful extremes. But certainly I can understand people in the States self medicating to avoid the huge expense of medical treatment.
DeleteI try self meds first, then if they don't work the best person to ask is a pharmacist - they can prescribe these days, and they will also tell you if you need to see a doctor.
ReplyDeleteSx
Ms Scarlet: I never thought of trying a pharmacist first before the doctor, but I must bear that in mind.
DeleteNick; I would never ask a pharmacist, in general they will convince you to buy the most expensive product. Most.of our pharmacies seem to be a shop for cosmetic products than for medication. For me a pharmacist has not the knowledge of a doctor. I do not know how it is in the UK .
ReplyDeleteHannah
Hannah: No, pharmacists don't have as much knowledge as doctors, but I assume they could advise me on everyday ailments and what medicines to take - or if I should consult a doctor. Our pharmacies have plenty of medicines and aren't just selling cosmetics.
DeleteWhen my late husband was going through cancer treatments before he passed, I cannot tell you how many people would DM me and tell me about this weird medication or CBD oil or some other herb and oil that they thought would cure him.
ReplyDeleteMary: I'm surprised that so many people have so little faith in highly-trained doctors and fall for all sorts of dubious medical or pseudo-medical regimes.
DeleteOf course consult a doctor...and then make sure they have explained any possible risks of the treatment they propose. Quack remedies are just that.....
ReplyDeleteFly: Yes, it's important to know exactly what the risks might be.
DeleteSelf medication is closely related to mental health. I bet the mother you mentioned had anorexia before, or other mental problems like severe anxiety.
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