Believing in Treatments That Don’t Work

Believing in Treatments That Don’t Work
April 2, 2009, 10:46 am
By David H. Newman, M.D.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/the-ideology-of-health-care/

Highlights:

In the early throes of a heart attack, caused by an abruptly clotted artery, the stunned heart often beats quickly and forcefully. For decades doctors have administered “beta-blockers” as a remedy, to reduce consumption of limited oxygen supplies by calming and slowing the straining heart. Giving these drugs in the early stages of a heart attack represents elegant medical ideology.

But it doesn’t work....

Other treatments that don't work, but that we still do:

• Recent press reports detailing the dangers of cough syrup for children have noted that cough syrup doesn’t work. True: No cough remedies have ever been proven better than a placebo, either for adults or children. Yet their use is common.
• Patients with ear infections are more likely to be harmed by antibiotics than helped. While the pills may cause a small decrease in symptoms (for which ear drops work better), the infections typically recede within days regardless of treatment. The same is true for bronchitis, sinusitis, and sore throats. Unnecessary antibiotics are still given to more than one in seven Americans each year for these conditions alone, at a cost of more than $2 billion and tens of thousands of serious adverse medication effects requiring treatment.

Perhaps most importantly, we as doctors and patients must be open to evidence. Pills and surgery are potent symbols of healing power, but our faith in these symbols has often blinded us to truths. Somewhere along the line, theory trumped reality. Administering a medicine or performing a surgery became more important than its effect.

My Comment:

What a great post by a medical doctor! We should all acknowledge that our healthcare system continues to spend money on worthless treatments (at best) or deadly treatments (at worst).

On the flipside, we should be "open to evidence" when it comes to alternative treatments. Whether it is diet, supplements, homeopathy, acupuncture, etc.

Bottom line: It's your health and it's unfortunate that you cannot blindly follow the advice of a medical expert (or a healthcare system). You need to take the reigns and do some homework prior to any treatment (however benign that it may seem).