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Physician and Medical Director of DiabetesMonitor.com
Dr. Bill Quick and his wife Steph are the authors of one of the ...
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Saturday, October 25, 2008
View All of Dr. Bill Quick's Posts
There were a flurry of news stories this week after publication of an journal article about the use of placebo therapy by physicians. I was thinking off-and-on about writing something on the subject of placebos and diabetes, but an editorial entitled "Healers and heels" in the Newark Star-Ledger tod...
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snake oil healthier than flax?
frankenduf
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 at 04:20 PM
well, i guess that giving a sugar pill to a diabetic isn't a good treatment :)
I think that the placebo issue brings to the fore a shortcoming in western medicine: the marginalization of self-healing. The overemphasis on prescribed treatments and drugs can ironically induce a more passive patient that may be less likely to heal. And of course the problem of polypharmacy can ensue, where the treatment may cause a new unhealthy symptom to arise. Even for diabetes, where outside treatment may be unavoidable, it may still be the case that peace of mind may lend itself to better sugar control.
In my opinion, the optimal treatment is to involve the patient in the decision making, and minimizing/tapering treatments to effect self-healing. While it is unethical to prescribe an unknown placebo, I can't help but think that this type of treatment attempts to bridge the gap for western medicine, when the limits of outside drugs to bring healing to the patient becomes apparent.
well, i guess that giving a sugar pill to a diabetic isn't a good treatment :)
I think that the placebo issue brings to the fore a shortcoming in western medicine: the marginalization of self-healing. The overemphasis on prescribed treatments and drugs can ironically induce a more passive patient that may be less likely to heal. And of course the problem of polypharmacy can ensue, where the treatment may cause a new unhealthy symptom to arise. Even for diabetes, where outside treatment may be unavoidable, it may still be the case that peace of mind may lend itself to better sugar control.
In my opinion, the optimal treatment is to involve the patient in the decision making, and minimizing/tapering treatments to effect self-healing. While it is unethical to prescribe an unknown placebo, I can't help but think that this type of treatment attempts to bridge the gap for western medicine, when the limits of outside drugs to bring healing to the patient becomes apparent.