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I just posted in the 'What did you do today' thread that I had a really cool discussion in my college Anthropology class about nature-pathic medicine and things like that.

Things like, our society now being medically pluralist.
We not only have western bio medicine, but things like acupuncture, hypnotherapy, psychotherapy, herbalists, traditionally cures, bio feedback, leeches ... ALL of that.

A classmate brought up that she doesn't take medications. She doesn't get vaccinations. All that. So we just talked about the whole picture. What works? What's placebo? What's scientific? And just analyzed it like cool anthropologists.


What do you believe in? I believe in all of it. I'm not sure how. Or maybe I'm just really happy about it. Like, thinking about it. And stuff like that ... arg! I wish I could just ... narrow it down. I'll come back and make a more thought out thesis of what I believe after this. The class is actually ... well. Over. I'm still listening to it.

[ Ooo now we're talking about how stress kills! ]

I believe in certain aspects of medicine, however I do not believe in everything, people seem to brand everything these days with scientifically proven or such with a man in a white coat telling you its fantastic, a breakthrough, it works wonders, I feel that you have to think carefully about it.

I myself never take medication of any sort and I'm generally healthy, the one time I was in such a state that I took a single pill I regretted it instantly as I became worse and ended up vomiting dissolved and now foamy medication, so I do not trust them, I think they defeat the purpose of the bodies own defences and as people seem to take them for the slightest things these days they weaken your immune system and in turn make you more susceptible to illness.

I think that placebos are highly effective, I mean they're are cases where people are found with the exact same symptoms of diseases and yet they don't have it, burns when they've never been burnt and its all due to person seeing and believing they've ill with it etc and the body actually creates the marks and symptoms upon you, so if it works to make you ill to this extent think of what a placebo could do to make you well.

Ive never tried acupuncture or herbal remedies and I'm undecided on they're value they may be simple placebos or they may actually be effective, I think it determines on the case and what needs doing.

I think everything really depends on the case, the reason, even the time, apparently we make so much medical process if you've been out of medical school for three years half of what you've learned is obsolete but if thats so was it really that useful in the first place. Things we used to think were beneficial to people we now know are dangerous who's to say its not the same with certain things we use now, so I remain distrusting of it all and I think the day we accept without asking why is the day that medication will become another enigma and a new evil in the world.

I'm a huge fan of pharmaceutical drugs. They've always been there when I needed them.
When I was younger I was actually really against drugs though, I followed a strict regime of natural medicines. But that quickly changed once the period pain kicked in. My dear friend the painkiller became my only option. And my god they've got something for everything.
I believe in all types of medicine though but acknowledge that they won't all work for everybody. And Nyz has made a good point about willpower - that's got a lot to do with a good recovery.

I believe in both, in a manner of speaking.

I believe that nature can destroy or alter what nature created; thus, there's essentially a natural cure for anything, regardless of whether or not we actually know about it. I also believe in hypnotism, having learned how to use it. I believe in something akin to the idea of ki energy, that there is an inherent force present in all things, living and nonliving, and that this force can be manipulated through various methods. And finally, I believe that the human will is possibly the most powerful force in the universe, as conceited a view as that might seem. I believe that with enough force of will, a human can essentially become Neo -- which ties into my personal belief that the entirety of the world in which we live is the sum total of our individual perception of that world, and nothing more. In order to change something about that world, be it ridding oneself of cancer or levitating alphabet blocks, all one must do is change their perception of the thing they wish to affect.

My entire philosophy on this kind of thing can honestly be gleaned from watching the Matrix trilogy and reading Dr. Strange comics.

And going back to more mundane methods of treatment, I believe that a medicine can be created for anything, but that these medicines may never be on par with entirely natural cures, which is why one of the side effects listed on the commercial of an asthma medicine just so happens to be an increased risk of asthma-related death -- essentially, the medicine will either help you get better, or kill you. Either way, you're not dealing with your asthma anymore!

This is longer than I intended. I didn't really expect to go on my perceptivism binge there.