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Politics of Health

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Politics of Health

October 13, 2024, 12:24 PM IST Lalit Kapoor in FIVE PILLARS OF HEALTH: A Blueprint for Wellbeing, Health, Lifestyle, TOI

Having covered the five pillars of health, we will now discuss chronic diseases. But before we delve into that, I want to address various factors that influence our understanding of health. These factors are shaped by the information we receive from research labs in the pharmaceutical, food, and healthcare industries, as well as from the government and media. In this section, we will cover the following topics:

1. Modern vs. Alternate Medicine

2. Placebo & Nocebo Effects

3. What is Normal ?

4. Bias in Medical & Nutritional Research

5. Statistical Manipulation

6. Side Effects and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs)

7. The Nexus of Industry, Government, and Media

Modern vs. Alternate medicine

The human body’s capacity for self-healing is now better understood than it was in the past. Historically, the positive outcomes of various medical treatments were often attributed to the specific medicine or treatment, rather than recognizing that these outcomes might be due to the placebo effect. This led to the development of many theories and treatment modalities. Today, we refer to these unconventional forms of treatment as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), with the term “Complementary” being added much later. Traditional alternative medicine includes:

  • Acupuncture
  • Ayurveda
  • Chiropractic
  • Homeopathy
  • Hydrotherapy
  • Magnetic Therapy
  • Naturopathy
  • Yunani Medicine
  • Chinese & Oriental Medicine
  • Gem Therapy
  • Spiritual practices like Talisman and Vibhuti

There are undoubtedly many more that could be added to this list. All these therapies were widely practiced around the world until the early 20th century. So, one might ask: when did these therapies become “alternative”?

In America, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie were the two richest men at the time. Rockefeller monopolized the oil industry, controlling 90% of it, while Carnegie dominated the steel industry. Both were actively involved in charitable causes. In 1908, they proposed to the American Medical Association (AMA) and the U.S. government that it would be beneficial to study the state of healthcare education and the various healthcare practices prevalent at the time, and to formalize and standardize medical education. This seemed like a noble cause. Carnegie hired a bright educator named Abraham Flexner and assigned him the task. (Incidentally, Abraham was the brother of Simon Flexner, who worked for the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research at the time.)

After spending over a year traveling throughout the U.S. and Canada, Abraham Flexner submitted a book-length report in 1910 titled Medical Education in the US and Canada, commonly known as “The Flexner Report.” The report recommended closing all 2-year diploma programs and standardizing a 4-year program, for which the curriculum was also established. Surprisingly, this curriculum did not include a single course in nutrition, despite the fact that herbal medicine accounted for half of all medicine at the time. The U.S. government adopted these recommendations, and the modern medical system as we know it today began to evolve.

The result was the banning of all alternative treatment practices unless performed by an MD. Small medical schools were either closed or merged into universities that were financially supported by large business interests. In less than 10 years, the number of medical colleges dropped from 650 to 50, and the number of medical students decreased from 7,500 to 2,500. Many forms of alternative practices were classified as quackery and banned. Doctors were required to complete a 4-year medical education and obtain a license to practice medicine before they could prescribe medication. Abraham Flexner was later appointed as the first director of Rockefeller’s philanthropic programs in medical education.

In 1928, the first antibiotic, Penicillin, was developed, becoming a magic cure-all for the infectious diseases that were most prevalent at the time. The discovery of vitamins also occurred during this period. Within a few decades, a mentality emerged that if you were ill, you should see a doctor who would prescribe a pill, and you would get better.

What I haven’t mentioned so far is the fact that Rockefeller and Carnegie were some of the largest producers of chemicals that were used to make drugs at the time the Flexner Report was produced. As a result of these changes, their businesses thrived. They were also major contributors to many medical colleges and sat on the governing boards of these institutions.

Nutrition vs. Medicine

There is a subtle conflict between nutrition teachings, which focus on prevention, and medicinal teachings, which focus on treatment.

1. When Dr. Collin Campbell made the documentary *Forks Over Knives*, his popular nutrition course at Cornell was canceled.

2. Dr. McDougall and other PBWF doctors have been advocating for the introduction of a single nutrition course in the medical program, but the AMA has strongly opposed this. As a result, there is still no nutrition course in the 4-year medical program.

Placebo & Nocebo effects

We have long known that a patient’s belief in a certain medication or treatment plays an important role in their recovery. Many alternative treatments that have been practiced for centuries or even millennia have produced surprising results. I even recall visiting Hakims and Vaidyas over 60 years ago. These care providers (incorrectly called doctors) always had good bedside manners and asked many questions about diet, urine and bowel habits, aches and pains, the color of the tongue and eyes, etc. After a thorough examination, they would prescribe medication in small paper packages (pudia). They also recommended certain dietary restrictions (parhej) to follow while taking the medication. In most cases, health improved within a week or two. However, it’s unclear what exactly healed the body:

1. Was it the medication?

2. Was it the dietary changes?

3. Did the body heal itself?

4. Did the positive belief of the mind heal the body?

What I’ve learned from my PBWF doctors is that our body is a very sophisticated organism, always striving to heal itself. So, it’s likely that the body healed due to factors 2, 3, and 4 above, while the contents of that paper pudia were probably immaterial.

All new drug trials must go through rigorous double-blind testing where the test group is divided into two equal groups: one receives the actual drug being tested, and the other receives an inactive substance with no therapeutic value. Both groups are told they are receiving the drug. Generally, patients in both groups see some benefits. For the drug to be approved, the study must demonstrate that the group receiving the drug had statistically better results than the placebo group. These are called double-blind trials because neither the patient nor the doctor knows which group is receiving the real medication and which is receiving the placebo.

Interestingly, we’ve also learned in recent years that the reverse of the placebo effect, the Nocebo effect, is also true. When we believe something bad will happen to us, it often does. In ancient Indian Puranic stories, there are often references to curses being put on someone. The principle behind these curses likely operated similarly to what we now call the Nocebo effect.

Alternate Medicine: 

Is it only a Placebo effect?

Many who share success stories with alternative medicine aren’t lying or trying to promote an agenda. Some of these stories seem miraculous, turning people into lifelong believers. However, not all such successes are due to the placebo effect. My goal is to explain how various factors can influence our judgment and contribute to the spread of myths. Here are some factors to consider:

1. The human body is a self-healing organism, constantly striving to repair itself. Cells die and regenerate regularly, with cycles ranging from days to months.

2. When we’re sick, we tend to improve our diet and lifestyle unconsciously, which can aid recovery.

3. Because of these factors, the body usually heals itself. Recovery times vary based on the illness, ranging from weeks to years.

4. In times of illness, we often start by consulting traditional medical professionals. If treatments don’t work, we may turn to alternative therapies like Homeopathy, Ayurveda, or Acupuncture.

5. Sometimes, recovery coincides with trying alternative treatments, leading us to mistakenly attribute healing to these therapies. In reality, the body may have healed on its own.

6. These perceived successes are then shared as proof of alternative medicine’s effectiveness, even though the treatment may not have been responsible.

7. Success stories get more attention than failures, which are rarely published. This creates a bias, as we are more likely to hear about positive outcomes, further spreading the idea that alternative therapies work when conventional medicine doesn’t.

If you’re reading this, you’re likely a health-conscious individual. Keep these points in mind when you hear about miraculous recoveries. For more insight, check out the documentaries What The Health and Death by Medicine. Also, watch the linked video below for further information.

FLEXNER REPORT 

 


To read the complete article on Times of India, Click Here 

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