# What motivates alternative health zealots? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 10, 2013, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125 "2013-07-10T11:39:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/41 "2013-07-11T18:17:09Z")
> [@Deeg](#): > > Related to this, medicine has changed recommendations a number of times and it can confuse people, especially when the popular media gets involved. Like: > > - Butter is evil, use margarine. Oops, trans fats are evil. > - Low-salt diet is good for your heart. Oops, maybe it causes harm. > - Cholesterol is bad for you. Wait, there is a good cholesterol. > - Oat bran is good for you. Oops, not so much. > - Thalidomide is not dangerous. Oops. > - Get mammograms. Wait, don’t get them. No, get them every 5 years. I get all the rest of these, but what’s the deal with oat bran? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/42 "2013-07-11T18:26:28Z")
Gives you cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/43 "2013-07-11T18:58:53Z")
I should be easy pickings for AM. I was diagnosed with epilepsy almost 15 years ago and after 4 different medicines, many ER visits, 2 separate week-long evaluations which say I’m not a candidate for surgery I still have seizure frequently enough that I can’t drive. I have a full time job, a wife, two kids, but no driver’s license. I keep up on the research hoping for some new breakthrough, but I’m smart enough to know that acupuncture isn’t the answer (especially when needles scare me). I also declined a chiropractor’s offer to treat my epilepsy. “Stick to my back pain.” I can see how people get desperate though. There have been days were I have had multiple seizures and I get angry and frustrated that my own brain is causing me so many issues. Forget an easy way out, I would love ANY. (If brain surgery was an option I would sign the papers in a second.) I’m just able to keep a slightly straighter mind and know that if there is a miracle drug it will probably be offered by my doctor, not from a pop up ad or a guy on TV. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/44 "2013-07-11T20:04:16Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I don’t know if I would write off all alternative medicine. > > My mother in law drinks gingko tea to improve her memory and she claims it has made a difference > > She also has a very sensitive stomach and she uses bamboo salt that she claims has cured her nervous stomach. > > Where she goes off the rails is when she starts to treat bamboo salt like a panacea for almost every ailment. > > You have a cold? Bamboo salt > You have cancer? Bamboo salt. What is “bamboo salt”? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/45 "2013-07-11T20:07:52Z")
[Bamboo salt](http://mybamboosalt.com/). Warning: massive woo. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/46 "2013-07-11T20:10:49Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > I was diagnosed with epilepsy almost 15 years ago and after 4 different medicines, many ER visits, 2 separate week-long evaluations which say I’m not a candidate for surgery I still have seizure frequently enough that I can’t drive. There’s such thing as a surgical treatment for epilepsy? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/47 "2013-07-11T20:13:17Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > There’s such thing as a surgical treatment for epilepsy? Yes. If there’s a part of the brain that scarred, say, and it’s (probably) not an important part they can remove it. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/48 "2013-07-11T22:25:54Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > When a relative told me this (explaining why “Chinese Medicine” was better) I asked why[the average life expectancy has doubled in the last 100 years](http://www.who.int/global_health_histories/seminars/presentation07.pdf). … and? What was the response? ---
**Author:** ![Deeg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/deeg/32/2955_2.png) [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/49 "2013-07-11T22:34:29Z")
> [@drew870mitchell](#): > > I get all the rest of these, but what’s the deal with oat bran? Not much, just oat bran was the elixir of life for a few years and then fell back to nothing special. I see now that it’s the only item in my list that didn’t end up actually causing problems and might have been confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/50 "2013-07-11T22:47:11Z")
Heh, reminds me of Chris Rock’s riff on how Robitussin was viewed as a cure-all in the projects. Got a cold? Take some Robitussin. Got a cough? Take some Robitussin. Broken leg? Pour some 'tussin on it. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/51 "2013-07-11T23:43:33Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Where she goes off the rails is when she starts to treat bamboo salt like a panacea for almost every ailment. > > You have a cold? Bamboo salt > You have cancer? Bamboo salt. My dad does this with various products. I think the latest cure-all is apple cider vinegar, before that it was tea-tree oil. Mind you, he does this as well as going to his regular doctor so it’s not as bad as it could be. He’s a damn smart man too, before he retired he was a geologist specialising in remote-sensing and has emeritus professorships at at least two universities. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/52 "2013-07-12T00:15:32Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I don’t know if I would write off all alternative medicine. > > My mother in law drinks gingko tea to improve her memory and she claims it has made a difference > > She also has a very sensitive stomach and she uses bamboo salt that she claims has cured her nervous stomach. > > Where she goes off the rails is when she starts to treat bamboo salt like a panacea for almost every ailment. > > You have a cold? Bamboo salt > You have cancer? Bamboo salt. Naaah. Not that old Bamboo salt bullshit. She needs a [magnetic bracelet.](http://www.rechargeablebracelets.com/?gclid=CLXVpurVqLgCFTBnOgodtDIAUw') It’s balanced and _rechargeable!_ ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/53 "2013-07-12T00:26:15Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Broken leg? Pour some 'tussin on it. [Put a bird on it.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XM3vWJmpfo) ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/54 "2013-07-12T12:37:01Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > When a relative told me this (explaining why “Chinese Medicine” was better) I asked why[the average life expectancy has doubled in the last 100 years](http://www.who.int/global_health_histories/seminars/presentation07.pdf). > > > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > > > … and? What was the response? She admitted our sanitation has gotten better. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/55 "2013-07-14T14:50:18Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Heh, reminds me of Chris Rock’s riff on how Robitussin was viewed as a cure-all in the projects. > > Got a cold? Take some Robitussin. > Got a cough? Take some Robitussin. > Broken leg? Pour some 'tussin on it. Like sudafed at a college medical center (at least, at _my_ college’s medical center) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/56 "2013-07-14T17:23:19Z")
Hmmm. I don’t know if I’d call myself a zealot, but I do lean too heavily towards alternative medicine sometimes, and find myself not having enough faith in traditional medicine. Example, a few months ago I had a sinus infection. I tried various alternative treatments (silver, various nasal rinses, etc) that did nothing. So I got some antibiotics and they cleared it up in a day. That was a learning experience. So what motivates zealots? From my personal experience I would say a mix of lack of faith in traditional medicine which may be vaguely tied to the lack of faith in public and private sectors in general. The financial system is a failure, the public sector is corrupt and bought, so some of that mistrust in mainstream institutions can bleed over into faith in mainstream medicine. Plus there are issues with credibility. Statins, aspirin and niacin don’t to much for CVD. SSRIs don’t do much for depression. Aside from surgery, nothing really works for obesity. A lot of conditions can only be managed, and many times not well. So the role of profits, or just repeating the status quo can lessen credibility. Plus when you hit a dead end and still want relief, people are going to look for it. Plus if you have vague medical conditions, you could end up seeing a string of specialists and general practitioners who can’t really provide relief. This will obviously lessen your faith. Plus traditional medicine kills 300,000 a year due to Rx interactions, medical errors, acquired infections, etc. That isn’t to say alternative medicine is totally safe, but neither is traditional medicine. And there is always the financial aspect. You can easily spend thousands of dollars on inconclusive tests (at least in the US) which for many people is hard to deal with. Virtually all the gains in life expectancy over the last 100 years have been due to public health measures, not individualized medicine (medications, physicians, surgeries, etc). Some alternative med practitioners disavow vaccines (I do not, just to be clear) but aside from that I don’t think public health really is something alt medicine zealots are against. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/57 "2013-07-14T17:29:20Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Plus traditional medicine kills 300,000 a year due to Rx interactions, medical errors, acquired infections, etc. That isn’t to say alternative medicine is totally safe, but neither is traditional medicine. That figure is up to 300,000 now? I remember when it was a whippersnapper at under 100,000. :rolleyes: Now mind you [the other side of the fence:](http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/05/22/improper-drug-use-kills-200-000-chinese-per-year/) ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/58 "2013-07-14T19:18:02Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > That figure is up to 300,000 now? I remember when it was a whippersnapper at under 100,000. :rolleyes: The figure I’ve heard is about 300k, with about 100k each from infection, medications and medical errors. Trying to find stats though, I am only seeing about 200k. [http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=deaths-from-avoidable-medical-error-2009-08-10](http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=deaths-from-avoidable-medical-error-2009-08-10) Either way, whether it is 200k or 300k the fact is that both allopathic and alternative medicine have their fair share of placebos and dangers. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/59 "2013-07-14T19:18:37Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > And there is always the financial aspect. You can easily spend thousands of dollars on inconclusive tests (at least in the US) which for many people is hard to deal with. From what I’ve seen, alternative treatments are easily as expensive as traditional ones. My mother is currently spending upwards of $700 every month with various alternative practitioners. She doesn’t have a diagnosis from them, either - except that I’m pretty sure they’ve diagnosed her as having some money - and no symptom relief. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125/60 "2013-07-14T19:19:52Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Plus traditional medicine kills 300,000 a year due to Rx interactions, medical errors, acquired infections, etc. That isn’t to say alternative medicine is totally safe, but neither is traditional medicine. Repeat after me: “Just because Big Pharma is shit doesn’t mean alternative medicine works.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-motivates-alternative-health-zealots/663125.md?page=4)