Alternative Perspective

Conspiracy’s, Condensation & Bullies

Published May 28th, 2014 in Alternative Perspective

By Tammera J Karr, PhD, BCHN, BCIM
© 2014 Holistic Nutrition for the Whole you

As I sat down to write this week’s column, it came on the heels of days of research building a presentation for a national conference to Integrative Medical practitioners. As one of a handful of natural and traditional practitioners presenting to this prestigious group, the pressure is on to demonstrate efficacy, knowledge, and credibility.

An article released in the March 17, 2014 JAMA internal medicine and Reuters titled; Medical Conspiracy Theories and Health Behaviors in the United States – makes this even more necessary, as traditional practitioners, nutritionists, herbalists, homeopaths, acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapist, Holistic Nurse Practitioners, Integrative practitioners….. the list is long… and the effectiveness of their modalities and safety comes under fire once again by hard core allopathic groups resistant to change and demand.

Let’s look at world market value and trends of just nutraceuticals:

Australia – Krill oil was the fastest selling vitamin and dietary supplement in 2013, growing by 180% to reach a value of $201 million. This is only one dietary supplement….
Mexico – Mexican Government ran strong media advertising campaigns to prevent the main diseases in Mexico such as diabetes, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, heart and cardiovascular disease. Public and private clinics and hospitals also support these campaigns and this communication influenced people from every socioeconomic level to buy these products. These campaigns for prevention heavily influenced growth rates of many vitamins and dietary supplements, particularly calcium supplements.
Turkey – Vitamins and dietary supplements recorded 9% current value growth in 2013. Oncologists, dieticians and orthopedicians often recommend vitamins and dietary supplements, benefiting overall growth over the review period.
Iran – The majority of doctors in Iran tend to recommend the consumption of mineral supplements and vitamins when prescribing Rx medicines to their patients. As a result, consumption of mineral supplements and vitamins in Iran is significant.

Soooo Mexico, Turkey and Iran has a more forward thinking, proactive medical view than America…..By the way this information was provided in a market trends analyses for P&G, Bayer, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson….got’a love the internet.

Currently in the United States consumers are voting with their pocket books on health; they know the current medical system is crashing and filled with antiquated, biased, and draconian reactions. It is all about market share and protection of your special toys, not anything else.

Back to the JAMA supposed study: “an online survey containing six questions posed to 1,351 respondents—looked at the “medical conspiracies” frequently “believed” by consumers. The questions ranged from the claim a US spy agency infected a large number of African Americans with HIV to the notion the government “prevents citizens from accessing alternative medicines.”

Included were theories the government knows cell phones cause cancer but does nothing, GMOs are being used to shrink the world’s population, routine vaccinations cause autism, and that water fluoridation is a way for companies to dump dangerous chemicals into the environment. Some 49% of the survey participants agreed that there was substance to at least one of the conspiracy theories.

Note how the more paranoid fantasies are given equal footing with claims that have abundant and credible evidence—such as the government suppressing alternative medicine. Over the years I have shared with you information on the gagging of Natural, Integrative and Traditional (Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic, herbal and naturopathic are traditional, cultural medical modalities, what America has is Allopathic) healthcare options and on the FDA’s attacks on integrative practitioners and their innovative treatments.

At the heart of the JAMA study, as well as the Reuters Health article, is a sneering condescension toward any who questions any part of the mainstream medical position.

For example, according to the article, there’s a strong correlation between believing in conspiracy theories and taking dietary supplements: “While 13 percent of people who did not believe in any conspiracies took herbal supplements, 35 percent of those who believed in three or more theories took supplements. Overall, the researchers say people who believed in conspiracies were more likely to use alternative medicine and to avoid allopathic medicine.”

In other words, it’s just our paranoia that’s keeping us from allopathic medicine—and not the 210,000 to 440,000 patients who die every year from medical mistakes. “Science in general—medicine in particular—is complicated and cognitively challenging because you have to carry around a lot of uncertainty,” according to the JAMA study’s author. Hummmm “trust me I know what I’m doing” feel better now?

The article concludes by encouraging doctors to set their patients straight about “conspiracies,” since skeptical patients are less likely to submit unquestioningly to prescription regimens.”

To your good health, it is all a conspiracy.

http://www.euromonitor.com/vitamins-and-dietary-supplements-in-mexico/report