| 'You don't really believe these bizarre | | | | that the therapy is nonsense! This offer of |
| techniques work, do you?' This or other | | | | mine puts them in touch with the fact that |
| similar often less polite comments are common | | | | they are not as convinced as they think they |
| responses when we try to convince our more | | | | are that the therapy does not work. If they |
| sceptical and scientific friends and | | | | were really as certain as they claim then |
| acquaintances about the power and efficacy of | | | | they would be happy to do this because they |
| our favourite alternative and complementary | | | | would know that I couldn't possibly make them |
| therapies. Many of us are left floundering in | | | | ill.Many doctors only ever meet our failures. |
| the face of the superiority of their total | | | | I once met a doctor who claimed that |
| conviction in their rightness. Over the years | | | | osteopathy was dangerous on the grounds that |
| I have developed several different approaches | | | | his patients who had been to see one had come |
| to the sceptic. I do not use all these | | | | back to him in more pain. I pointed out to |
| approaches at the same time, but try to | | | | him that if the osteopathic treatment had |
| assess which approach will work. If one | | | | been successful then his patients would not |
| tactic doesn't work, then I try another | | | | have come back to him. Similarly, |
| approach. My success is not 100% but I have | | | | complementary therapists only tend to see the |
| managed to convince many sceptics and hostile | | | | disasters of allopathic medicine. Many of my |
| scientists to take a second look at these | | | | clients complain to me of their doctors' |
| ideas and therapies. Some of these original | | | | insensitivity and ignorance. I always remind |
| sceptics have become my greatest supporters | | | | myself that there are many people who are |
| and have, in turn, managed to convince many | | | | satisfied with conventional medicine and the |
| other people to consider these | | | | treatment they receive: they are so satisfied |
| therapies.Sceptics often see the success as | | | | that they do not come to see me.Even if |
| being purely attributable to a placebo | | | | sceptics admit that people are genuinely |
| effect. It is argued that because people | | | | getting well they will often dismiss the |
| believe that it will work it does. In fact | | | | therapies because we cannot adequately |
| many of the people who come to me say they | | | | explain how it works. I offer the following |
| find it very hard to believe that it will | | | | story to these people. Many years ago when |
| work. Some clients ask incredulously: 'Can | | | | one of my sons was small we were travelling |
| this really work?' or 'Is that it?' Other | | | | to my parents' house to celebrate their |
| clients have told me that they have walked | | | | Golden Wedding Anniversary. My son had been |
| out after the first visit convinced they have | | | | entranced by our preparations: the golden |
| just wasted their time and their money, only | | | | presents being wrapped in golden paper. On |
| to find that they do get better, that their | | | | the journey we stopped at a motorway service |
| symptoms do diminish and that they feel | | | | station and he picked up a packet of Durex |
| happier and healthier than they have for a | | | | Gold condoms. 'What are these?' he asked |
| long time. It's not a very good placebo if so | | | | curiously (obviously wanting to know whether |
| many people are so unimpressed by it! Small | | | | this would be a good additional present for |
| babies and children respond to kinesiology | | | | Grandma and Granddad). 'Condoms,' I replied. |
| and other therapies very well. A 6-week old | | | | 'What are they for?' was the inevitable next |
| baby was brought to see me because she was | | | | question. 'They are things that men put on |
| failing to thrive. She was sick every time | | | | their willies to stop ladies having babies,' |
| she was fed and was losing weight much to the | | | | I told him. He gave me a very hard look to |
| concern of her parents and the medical | | | | make certain that I really meant this bizarre |
| profession. The mother had tried various baby | | | | statement and then he shook his head and |
| milk formulas (including soya-based ones) to | | | | said: 'Strange, very strange.'Of course, to |
| no avail. I found that the baby was allergic | | | | him the idea that men wearing something could |
| to the tap water that her mother used to make | | | | stop women having babies was bizarre, because |
| up the formulas. We changed the tap water | | | | he lacked a vital piece of information that |
| source and used some homeopathic treatment | | | | made sense of this statement. The situation |
| and the baby responded immediately. This can | | | | with many complementary therapies is bizarre |
| hardly be attributed to a placebo effect, | | | | precisely because we lack information that |
| particularly as the baby slept through the | | | | would make sense of it. It is the job of the |
| whole procedure, only waking as she was | | | | scientific community to provide this |
| leaving my office. Even if it were a placebo, | | | | information. Their model cannot explain the |
| I have a placebo that works in many instances | | | | undoubted success of much alternative |
| where conventional medicine has failed.The | | | | medicine. It is not sufficient (or |
| most direct way to convince a sceptic is, of | | | | scientific) to call the therapies bizarre and |
| course, to improve his/her health using these | | | | unscientific. It is necessary to find a model |
| techniques. Some years a man came to see me | | | | that makes sense of these therapies. The |
| about the severe arthritis he had in his | | | | inadequacy is on the part of the scientific |
| knees. Although he was only in his 30's and | | | | community that cannot explain kinesiology and |
| an ambitious man he was only able to work | | | | many other successful and increasingly |
| part-time because he was in such pain. During | | | | popular therapies. It is not on the part of |
| the initial conversation he told me that I | | | | therapists who are busy helping people to get |
| would not be able to help him. I was | | | | better and heal themselves.Many of the |
| surprised at this and asked him why he had | | | | sceptics are implicitly arguing that medicine |
| come to see me. He told me that both his wife | | | | is scientific, rigorously assessed (with |
| and his neighbour were clients of mine. | | | | double blind trials etc.), but this is far |
| Whenever he complained about the pain in his | | | | from the truth. For example, saliva swabs |
| knees they would 'nag' him to come and see | | | | were taken from 12,000 children whose GP's |
| me. He had decided he would come to see me | | | | had diagnosed that they had measles. 97.5% of |
| simply to stop them nagging. I did not spend | | | | these children were found not to be suffering |
| a long time explaining or justifying the | | | | from measles (Daily Telegraph January 8th |
| strange therapy but got his agreement that he | | | | 1997). We are not talking about doctors |
| would do everything I asked him to do. He | | | | misdiagnosing some obscure disease, but a |
| came back for the second session and told me | | | | common disease that is much discussed. Many |
| that his knees were much worse. 'You're the | | | | drugs have been found to be ineffective or, |
| only person that's ever managed to do | | | | even worse, to involve serious side effects. |
| anything,' he said. This was a rather | | | | Pethidine, for instance, given to huge |
| surprising but encouraging comment. By the | | | | numbers of women to reduce pain in labour has |
| time he came for his third session his knees | | | | been found to be ineffective (What the |
| had improved dramatically and he had taken a | | | | Doctors Don't Tell You March 1997). A doctor |
| new full-time job that involved him in | | | | specialising in anaesthetic and pain relief |
| driving thousands of miles each month in a | | | | told me that many of the operations used for |
| non-automatic car. He was delighted and | | | | intractable pain had never been fully tested |
| subsequently recommended many other people to | | | | and in his opinion many of these were useless |
| come and see me.A man with macular | | | | procedures submitting people to more distress |
| degeneration of the eyes said at the end of | | | | and pain. Many drugs have had to be withdrawn |
| his final appointment, 'I don't mean to be | | | | after devastating side effects have been |
| rude. What you do is a joke, but I have no | | | | found. In many ways doctors and 'scientific' |
| other explanation for why my eyesight is | | | | people are asking standards from |
| getting better.'In the past I often offered | | | | complementary therapy that medicine and |
| to show sceptics how powerful health | | | | science do not achieve.A frequent comment |
| kinesiology was. Some refused to let me do | | | | from my clients is that though the therapy |
| anything, but others agreed to have a short | | | | (in my case health kinesiology) seems |
| session. When their symptom improved or | | | | bizarre, I seem very sane and down-to-earth. |
| disappeared after the treatment they would | | | | They feel that they can trust me and that I |
| often say 'But it would probably have gone | | | | am acting with honesty and integrity. More |
| anyway' or 'I don't feel any different'. | | | | than conventional doctors we need to prove |
| Eventually I got frustrated with this sort of | | | | that we are intelligent, honest, |
| response so I decided to offer to make the | | | | knowledgeable and skilful.Based on an article |
| sceptic worse rather than better. 'I will put | | | | first published in 'Positive Health' in March |
| your body so out of balance that you will get | | | | 1998Jane Thurnell-Read is a writer and |
| sickness and diarrhoea' I now volunteer | | | | researcher on health, stress, alternative |
| innocently. I am sure skilled homeopaths, | | | | medicine, and happiness. Visit her web site |
| herbalists, masseuses and reflexologists | | | | for tips and information on how to live a |
| could do this too. I have not yet found | | | | happier, healthier life no matter how busy |
| anyone who is willing to let me try to do | | | | you are. |
| this, in spite of the fact that they believe | | | | |