All in all it seems harmless.  After all, why should I care that people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on readings, aura reports, crystals, magnets, or spiritual guidance.  For the most part, I find it humorous.  I’m sure some of the shop owners believe their own nonsense.  I’m also sure that others know full well what they are selling.  Sure, some could be considered crooks, but who cares as long as no one gets hurt, right?

Well, just a few weeks ago, two people died and over 20 were hospitalized after spending 2 hours in a sweat lodge “Spa”.  Apparently, these folks were participating in some type of spiritual cleansing ritual which is not uncommon here.  According to police reports, some people paid up to $9000 for the retreat.  Yep.  That’s right $9000 to be stuffed with 63 other people in a 3 foot high room made of branches and covered with blankets for 2 hours.  Oh and lets not forget the steam produced from pouring water over hot rocks.  Doesn’t that sound like fun?  The fact that there is no established medical benefit to do this isn’t even considered relevant by the participants or organizers.  The spiritual teacher, James Arthur Ray, is being investigated and if justice is served, he’ll spend the rest of his life in jail.

So what’s the lesson here? Will anything be learned from this tragedy?  In short, no.  Life goes on in Sedona.  In a few days or weeks, this will no longer be news to anyone besides the families and friends of the sick and dead.  People will question Ray’s motives rather than the practice itself.  Scammers will thrive on the gullible.  People will engage in potentially harmful behavior and continue to line the pockets of the purveyors of woo.  Nothing will change.  It never ever does.

Two dead (so far) is one tragedy.  Another is that lessons that should be learned, won’t be.

On a lighter note, Sedona was beautiful.  I can see why people think that there is something special about this place.  There is.  It’s a beautiful landscape with endless natural wonders to see and explore.  One doesn’t have to look for mystical power sources or spend money on magic jewelery to appreciate the beauty that nature has provided.

1. You, your family, and those you care most about have good healthcare insurance

2. You don’t know (or simply don’t care) that millions of children don’t have healthcare insurance, thousands of Americans die every year due to a lack of healthcare insurance, the sickest often can’t get insurance due to pre-existing conditions (even after paying into the system for years), and that costs are skyrocketing.

I’m not claiming that I have the answers.  Anyone who says they do is either caught up in hype or full of shit (probably both.)  With something this charged, it’s hard to filter through the rhetoric being slung around.  As usual, the loudest voices are from the most left and most right (both fraught with misinformation, scare tactics, and even outright lies).

It’s probably asking too much but I would like to see our politicians engage in less politics, less lying, less bullshit, and more intelligent discussion about what the problems are and what can done.  I believe that no one bill will fix everything.  Changing laws almost never does fix something 100%.  But changes can be made and things can be improved.  Sometimes the answer is a series of incremental changes based on previous success and failures.  Sometimes large, wholesale changes are necessary, still followed by tweaks to move things in the right direction.  I don’t claim to know enough about this issue to say what exactly should or shouldn’t be done.  IMO, no single person can (not even the nitwits on cable news.)

If recent history is any indication though, the only changes that the healthcare industry will make if left to their own devices are increases in cost and restrictions.  In this case, unfortunately, the government needs to get involved.

Completely avoidable tragic events happen when people completely ignore common sense.  If this woman didn’t have GPS and a cell phone would she have gone off road into Death Valley to go camping?  Would she have registered with the park service?  Would she have brought more than a single case of water?

In the modern world, we sometimes forget that there are large expanses of harsh environment where we need knowledge of survival techniques if something goes wrong.  We rely on technology so much in our everyday lives that we lose the ability to step back and solve problems the old fashioned way – by using a little common sense an doing some basic research before we jump in the car and take off.

Sad.  Very sad.  Will people learn from this?  Probably not.  Once this story runs it’s course through the news and morning talk show circuits, it’ll be forgotten by the very people who need to pay attention.  People like Alicia Sanchez taking their child out for an overnight camping trip.

From what I have been able to gather, she was first diagnosed in Sep 2006 and following regimen of standard therapies, was declared cancer-free in Feb 2007.  A few months later doctors discovered a small polyp during a routine exam, and apparently she sought “alternative” treatment in Germany this time around.  I have been unable to determine exactly what the treatment was, although it’s been reported that it consisted of a combination of chemotherapy and natural supplements.

We don’t know what the specific treatment was, but we do know that it was not effective.  We’ll never know whether the “alternative” approach would have saved her life if she tried it first.  (I suspect not since natural supplements have no clinical record of curing cancer.)  Also, we’ll never know if the relapse would have been successfully treated by physicians using the latest FDA-approved, science-based treatments.  We won’t ever know those answers, but I do know that there will be loads of people claiming to.

I am concerned that alt-med proponents will be given too much credibility when they make dubious claims about Farrah’s cancer.  In an effort to be ‘fair’, or due to an outright anti-science, anti-pharma,or anti-establishment bias, media outlets may give them a pass without challenging their assertions.  There will be apologies for why the follow-up “alternative” treatments didn’t work.  There will be people saying that she should have gone to Germany in the first place.  I have no doubt that people will claim, without hesitation, that she “would be here today IF ONLY…”  There will be people condemning the FDA for not approving more natural, homeopathic, eastern, herbal, and other magical energy theories.  These people are always out there but in this case, I fear that they will have a louder voice than those promoting science-based treatments.

Oncologists know that they can’t say for certain that she would have responded better to traditional treatments.  They will say things like: “She may have responded favorably to another course of chemo and radiation”, or “Based upon years of data and case histories of similar patients, her cancer would have likely gone back into remission.”  It doesn’t make good television sound bites, but that’s all they can say.  They are bound by medical ethics and the current state of medical knowledge.  There are no guarantees.  No magic potions.  No absolutes in medicine.

Many alt-med proponents however, have no need for tempering their opinions by examining evidence, understanding probabilities or even considering medical plausibility.  They have no reliance on the messy business of scientific research, epidemiological studies, or clinical trials.  A few anecdotes here, a few bits of  ancient wisdom there, and poof: a natural cure for what ails ya.  No need for chemicals, trips to the clinic, or side effects.  It’s a very appealing message, one which I fear will be delivered on the air waves, in print, and on the web.  Dare I even say the name Oprah?

So what will the coming hours, days, and weeks bring with regards to Farrah’s cancer, her treatment choices, and her ultimate passing?  I do hope that my instincts are wrong, but I am not optimistic…

In many cases, the purported uses of the herbs and animal components have not been clinically verified.  In most cases, they have been shown ineffective or there is no plausibility of effectiveness.  When there has been a clinical effect, the active ingredient is typically isolated and synthesized.  Despite these facts, the consumption of natural resources for no reason continues, and does so at an alarming rate.

Got a few minutes?  Listen to Dr. Mark Crislip’s scathing review of the effects of TCM and other (S)CAM modalities on the environment: http://www.quackcast.com/spodcasts/files/archive-12-april-2009.html

I don’t want to spoil the laughs (Hovind’s comedic timing could use a little work) but here are a few gems in case you don’t visit:

Creation Minute is an exciting series hosted by Eric Hovind that explores the creation worldview using cutting-edge visual effects and digital technology. Each episode challenges the evolution theory and gives evidence of the Bible’s historical and scientific accuracy.

OK.  First sentence makes sense.   He does use new technology to promote fundamentalist non-scientific nonsense.  (That’s what it says, right?)  The second sentence is a real laugher though.

..gives evidence of the Bible’s historical and scientific accuracy.

You can’t deny that that’s a frggin hoot!  “scientific accuracy”…

A prime example of his Bible-based science is this formula:

Evolution Formula

Evolutionists are forced to believe that nothing + time = everything.

Seriously if want to waste some time (and maybe lose your last meal) watch some of these videos which use “cutting-edge visual effects and digital technology” to promote the same lame arguments that fundamentalists have been using against evolutionary biology for 150 years.  A new shiny package but inside it’s the same old pile of stinking crap.

Seriously, why are these backward close-minded irrational beliefs held by more than just the tiniest fringe of society?

“Frankly, federal funding of embryonic stem cell research can bring on embryo harvesting, perhaps even human cloning that occurs,” he said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We don’t want that. … And certainly that is something that we ought to be talking about, but let’s take care of business first. People are out of jobs.”

OK.  Pretty strong rhetoric from a high ranking member of the Rep party.  Obviously this guy is either drinking the coolaid or being completely disingenuous.  How can anyone with any knowledge of the issue make those statements?

First of all, claiming that the Obama administration shouldn’t do anything except focus on the economy is ridiculous.  That is a False Dichotomy – claiming that the president can only do one thing or the other.  Of course the administration has a large number of issues to deal with.  The science, medicine research, and health advisers should focus on their responsibilities, not the economy.  If the administration was only dealing with the economic issues, it would negligence of historic proportions.

Secondly, the embryo harvesting and human cloning claim is fear mongering in the form of a Straw Man Argument.  How does Human Cloning have ANYTHING to do with stem cell research? Embryonic harvesting?  Are you fucking kidding?  Representative Cantor is either a moron or a liar.  (Which fallacy is that?)  Actually, since he is a politician, I suspect that he is both.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29586269/

For the lazy readers who don’t have the time or inclination to do research but are interested in vaccine safety and efficacy, I’d like to suggest a podcast that you can listen to.  Infectious Disease specialist Mark Crislip, MD has addressed the topic in a recent Quackcast podcast which can be found here.

Don’t expect someone sympathetic to the anti-vaccinationists and celebrity a-holes promoting them.  Dr. Crislip addresses the safety of several vaccines, the vaccine – autopsy connection (or lack of), and why the claims made by the Green Vaccine movement are completely bogus.

In case, you don’t listen to the whole thing, Dr. Crislip ends the podcast with the following thought:  “Greener vaccines?  The only green you will see by getting rid of vaccines, or decreasing their use, is the grass growing on the graves of children needlessly killed by preventable infections.”

http://www.parentdish.com/2009/02/11/doctor-who-linked-autism-and-vaccines-faked-data

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5683643.ece

Of course, many people will ignore this and still not get their children vaccinated putting their children as well as others at risk.  When Jack is done with Dr. Wakefield, maybe he can visit Jenny McCarthy, Oprah, and the other anti-vaccination terrorists.  Yes I said terrorists.  The anti-science, anti-medicine, anti-reason people who promote not vaccinating children put far more people in danger than Al Qaeda and should be held accountable when helpless children die.

This case has been watched by many in the scientific and health care communities as well as many others.  More than 5500 claims have been filed by parents seeking compensation.  Additionally, there has been an increase in parents all over the country declining vaccines for their children because of autism fears.

Of course, this decision will not persuade most of the parents that their children’s autism was not caused by vaccines.  Several years of research from around the world hasn’t been able to do that so this certainly won’t.  In fact, the head of Vaccine Information Center (which promotes the idea) said “I think it is a mistake to conclude that, because these few test cases were denied compensation, it’s been decided vaccines don’t play any role in regressive autism.”  She went on to say that more studdies are needed.

Just like any fringe or psuedoscientific belief, evidence is ignored unless it supports the belief, and believers claim that more research needs to be done.  In the case of autism and vaccines, more than enough research has been done.  The proverbial dead horse has been beaten to the point of turning to dust and yet it’s not enough.  The tragedy here is that so much money has been spent researching this link over and over, that it has reduced efforts that could actually determine causes, treatments, and a cure.  Think about that.  Obviously some people are not.

Of course, you have to feel for parents of autistic children.  It’s extremely difficult to deal with something like that and of course they want to know why it happened and what can be done to fix it.  It’s understandable that the answer they get from their doctor is not acceptable.  But the fact is that science has not got to the bottom of this tragic condition.  Genetic and environmental causes are being investigated but there is no answer yet.  Previous hypotheses, including those involving vaccines, mercury, and thimerosal, have been investigated and ruled out.  It’s time to devote more money and resources to research which may actually bear fruit.

source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29160138/

For more information, please visit the Science Based Medicine Blog