Testing alternative medicine

1
Testing alternative medicine

• Burden, blessing or both?

2
Definition Alternative Medicine

• All forms of diagnosis and therapy,
• that are not taught as examination subjects in
  medical schools.

3
Two main streams

• Forms of diagnosis and therapy, that
• Replace regular scientific medicine (alternative
  medicine exclusively),
• or those that
• Complement regular scientific medicine
  (complementary medicine)

4
Three main groups that make use of alternative
medicine

• Pragmatics As long as it works...
• Frustrated ones Medicine has failed....
• Radicals I prefer alternative medicine...

5
This is available

• F.1 Necessary?

F.2 Effective?
F.3 Appropriate?
F.4 Ethically OK?
F.5 Occult or not?
This is acceptable
Five Screening Filters
6
Biblical basis for the five filters

• Stewardship Mandate for Filters 1-3
• Genesis 1 26-30 2 15 9 1-7
• Gods moral laws for Filter 4
• Keep in mind
• Personal conscience
• Christian freedom, Rom. 14 1. Cor. 8-10 (MSI)
• Gods authoritative borders for Filter 5
• Deuteronomy 18 9-14 (Absolutes)

7
Filter 1 Is it necessary?

• Medicalization Problems to be solved medically
• Consumer mentality Buy health from doctor
• Hypochondria imagined illness (what is root?)
• Is it really necessary or is it the
• wish of the doctor / practitioner
• wish of the patient
• common use in certain situations

8
Filter 2 Is it effective?

• Possibilities regarding effectiveness
• It does not work at all
• It works through usual healing powers
• Creational healing power of the body
• Psychosomatic interaction
• Pharmacologically active substances
• Placebo effect, ca. 35 (15-58 )
• Still unknown, but usual healing powers
• It works through unusual healing powers
• Signs and wonders
• Magic / witchcraft / sorcery

9
Filter 3 Is it appropriate?

• Age
• Sex
• Finances
• Cultural / Social factors
• Drug interactions
• Contra-indications
• Risk adverse reactions

10
Filter 4 Is it ethically acceptable?

• What are the facts?
• What are the consequences?
• Some helpful ethical principles
• Of benefit ? beneficence
• Not harmful ? non-maleficence
• Responsibility / accountability (not autonomy)

11
F.5 Occultism 6 aspects

• Pollution through esoteric world view elements
• Comments about the explanatory models
• Original explanatory model reflects mindset of
  the pioneers
• Replace the original explanatory model as
  necessary
• Unknown does not necessarily mean occult
• Commonest esoteric elements
• Micro-cosmos / Macro-cosmos thinking
• Unusual linking stars / seasons / elements / food
  types / organs / diseases
• Philosophy that reality consists of a few
  elements (3, 4 or 5)
• Esoteric energy has to be harmonized / stimulated
  / flowing
• Danger World view pollution / poisoning of the
  mind

12
F.5 Occultism 6 aspects

• Diagnosis with the use of forbidden unusual
  powers
• Soothsaying (unusual insights in the
  relationships between things/situations/people
  and health/disease insights not obtainable
  through the use of the five senses only)
• Clairvoyance (unusual insights obtained through
  communication with demons, including those that
  pretend to be the spirits of the sick or some
  other human).
• Danger Demonization

13
F.5 Occultism 6 aspects

• Therapy with the aid of forbidden unusual powers
• Changes in the health situation of a person
  through unusual powers (usually aiming at the
  harmonising of cosmic energy)
• Danger Demonization
• Use of techniques that open patients up for
  possible demonic influences
• Causing passive mental states hypnosis or trance
• Danger Caught in Satans trap ? Bondage

14
F.5 Occultism 6 aspects

• Initiate patient into the use of unusual powers
• Possible through getting them involved with
  soothsaying, clairvoyance, witchcraft, sorcery or
  magic
• Danger Demonization
• Curses/magic formulas over patients / medicaments
• It is a form of witchcraft / magic / sorcery
• Danger Strengthening a pre-existent occult
  bondage
• Encouragement for the Christian - Proverbs 262

15
Recommendations for Christian doctors

• Share with colleagues humility, compassion,
  professionalism
• Study and research Phyto-therapy, Trigger Point
  Massage, etc.
• Critical evaluation of regular scientific
  medicine
• Reductionism can a God-less doctor be a good
  doctor?
• Network Biblical-Christian Healthcare -
  international
• Hope for Healthcare via www.hfe.org or
  www.hcf-international.com
• CDK, CiCP, CIG, CMA, CMS, ICMDA, Journal
  Christian Healthcare HCF, MedIchthys, NCF
• Take patients use of alternative medicine
  seriously
• Reckon with it in anamnesis, diagnosis, therapy
• Careful counselling about OK or not-OK
  alternative medicine

16
Filter 1 Is acupuncture necessary?

• Arguments for
• Normal scientific medicine is too materialistic
• No to medication with adverse reactions
• Use acupuncture as missionary tool
• Only limited means available
• Nothing else has helped
• Arguments against
• It does not work
• Only placebo-effect
• It is occult

17
Filter 2 Is acupuncture effective?

• NO
• Ter Riet et al (1990 inc. Medline 1963-1988 )
• Meta-Analysis of 91 usable, published trials over
  a period of 17 years 12 is gt50 reliable none
  more reliable than 68. The more thorough the
  research, the less positive the results ? no
  conclusive evidence.
• Jacobs et al (1991)
• Meta-analysis of 22 published double blind trials
  ? not more effective than placebo.
• Possibly YES ? limited use, more research needed
• Linde et al (2001 inc. Medline 1989-2000)
• Meta-Analysis of 39 usable published trials
  positive for post-operative nausea negative as
  help to stop smoking
• Steward (1977) Kho (1991) Van Dijk (1978)
• Pain relief in various situations symptomatic
  treatment

18
F.3 Is acupuncture appropriate?

• Age no issue
• Sex no issue
• Finances issue if presented as cure-all
• Culture/social family/patient pressure can be
  severe
• Drug interactions no issue
• Contra-indications only if ineffective or
  occult
• Risk adverse reactions no issue
• Possibly appropriate in demythologized
  symptomatic use

19
F.4 Is acupuncture ethical?

• What facts are relevant?
• Overlap with nerve/artery/vein triads with
  muscle trigger points
• ?Possible to determine points more accurately
  electrically
• Classical acupuncture anatomy seriously outdated
• What consequences are relevant?
• Who/what is trusted for healing?
• Does it really help?
• Possible limited use more research needed.
• Is it harmful?
• Van Dijk (1980) 10.000 therapeutic sessions
• Pneumothorax (a few cases)
• Hepatitis, burn wounds (very rare)
• Does it promote responsible behaviour?
• Usually patients not made dependent on
  practitioner

20
Filter 5 Is acupuncture occult?

• Promoting non-biblical views of God, man, health
  / disease and world?
• Almost always ? World view pollution
• Diagnosis with forbidden unusual powers?
• Rare in the West until now. Depends on
  practitioner.
• Therapy with forbidden unusual powers?
• Rare in the West until now. Depends on
  practitioner. Some Christian authors say yes.
  Evidence difficult to document scientifically.

21
Filter 5 Is acupuncture occult?

• Techniques that open patients for demonic
  influence
• Hypnosis or Trance possible. Depends in
  practitioner.
• Initiation in use of forbidden unusual powers?
• Rare in the West until now. Depends on
  practitioner.
• Curse or magic spell during therapy?
• Rare in the West until now. Depends on
  practitioner.

22
F.1 Ist Homöopathie notwendig?

• Argumente dafür
• normale wissenschaftliche Medizin ist zu
  materialistisch
• gtnein zu Medikamenten mit Nebeneffekten
• verfügbare Mittel begrenzte Mittel
• nichts anderes hilft mehr aus-gearztet
• Argumente dagegen
• funktioniert nicht ? Quacksalberei
• nur Placeboeffekt
• Okkult ? Prinzip der Unsichtbaren Lebenskraft

23
Filter 2 Ist Homöopathie wirksam?

• Hill und Doyon (1990) 40 Versuche
• Effektivität nicht bewiesen
• Kleijnen u.a. (1991) 107 Versuche
• 23 von ziemliche Qualität
• 15 davon günstige Ergebnisse
• Pirtkien (1976) Gelenkkrankheiten
• 54 besser mit Homöopathie
• 95 besser mit Medikation

24
F.3 Ist Homöopathie angemessen?

• Age
• Sex
• Finances
• Culture / Social factors
• Drug interactions
• Contra-indications
• Risk adverse reactions
• Wenn sie
• wirksam wäre,
• im Einzelfall notwendig und nicht schädlich,
• wäre Homöopathie angemessen.

25
F.4 Homöopathie ethisch tragbar?

• Was sind die Fakten?
• Zwei Tausend Medikamenten Fünf Hundert bis zwei
  Tausend Symptomen pro Medikament ? Vier Millionen
  Kombinationen möglich
• Verdünnung D10 C100
• Avogadro D22 D23 nichts mehr über
• Was sind die Folgen?
• Okkulte Einflüsse?

26
F.4 Homöopathie ethisch tragbar?

• Hilft sie?
• Phytotherapie besser.
• Ist sie schädlich?
• In Forschung nichts gefunden
• Geistlich schädlich, Chr. Schriftsteller wie
  Feller, Markmann, Kunze
• Förderung von verantwortungsvollem Verhalten?
• Meistens werden die Patienten auf keine ungesunde
  Weise von ihren Heilern abhängig gemacht.

27
Filter 5 Ist Homöopathie okkult?

• Weiterleitung eines nicht-biblischen Konzepts von
  Gott, Mensch, Gesundheit/Krankheit und Welt?
• Fast immer ? Verschmutzung der Weltanschauung.
• Diagnose mit verbotenen, aussergewöhnlichen
  Kräften?
• Im Westen kaum gebräuchlich. Hängt vom Heiler ab.
• Therapie mit verbotenen, aussergewöhnlichen
  Kräften?
• Manchmal. Hängt vom Heiler ab (Pragmatische oder
  Klassische Homöopathie).
• Ja, verschiedene Christliche Schriftsteller.

28
Filter 5 Ist Homöopathie okkult?

• Techniken, die den Patienten dämonischem Einfluß
  öffnen
• Hypnose oder Trance möglich. Hängt vom Heiler ab.
• Einführung in den Gebrauch von verbotenen,
  aussergewöhnlichen Kräften?
• Kaum gebräuchlich. Hängt vom Heiler ab.
• Beschwörung während der Therapie?
• Kaum gebräuchlich. Hängt vom Heiler ab.