On Complementary Therapies

[Sailor]

As Harker and a few others have said - If complementary and alternative therapies worked then they wouldn't be complementary and alternative, they would be main stream. If they put people in a good frame of mind, give them a feeling that they are doing something to help themselves, make them feel good, then OK, but let's get a bit real. All this stuff about energy therapies really does get me going. Energy is the capacity to do work - we consume food that gets metabolised, stored as small molecules that can be further metabolised when the body works, either to maintain our existence or to have some form of work output. The energy stored on the chemical bonds of the molecules that make up our food is converted to work and ultimately heat. Anything flowing from someone' finger, hands, touching or hovering over another person is not energy, cannot be measured and is one great con job - it doesn't exist. If it makes you feel better then fine, but it ain't going to make you better as far as cancer is concerned. Just remember we have known about energy for a long time, the scientists and engineers several hundred years ago invented the term to describe the flows of heat and work in engines. They enunciated some fairly fundamental rules about these: conservation of energy, three laws of thermodynamics. These have stood the test of time, rigorous testing and manage to explain all phenomena where energy work and heat are involved, from interactions at the single atom level to the universe as we know it. Let's not get confused with non-scientific claptrap. Before you all jump down my throat, just remember that 50 years ago the overall survival from cancer was about 25%. It is now about 60%. That has come about through the application of good science and rigorous testing, not mumbo-jumbo and supposed energy therapies. If you find me offensive - produce the evidence for your claims. Cheers Sailor

[harker]

Well said, but I would distinguish between complementary and alternative in this discussion. Complementary can focus on aspects of wellbeing that are not being covered by mainstream science (oncology in our cases) to good effect. I have had experience of worthwhile complementary therapies in terms of my wellbeing at the time. I am comfortable with the thought that they may complement chemo, etc. Alternative implies instead of and that is where the problem lies, I think. Doing something to complement chemo and doing something instead of chemo are radically different actions and I would like to see them kept a long way apart. Complementary can stay exactly that if it achieves its purpose. If alternative achieved its purpose it would not be alternative. It would, as you say, be mainstream. Collingwood beating Essendon on Monday is a complementary therapy in my case, but it is not an alternative to life saving physics and chemistry. H

[#3]

Unless a person takes the oppertunity to experience Complementary Energy Therapy then and only then can effective comments be of value. To often the negative approach is adopted as a statment of "Fact" and more uninformed comments are added; (As Harker and a few others have said - If complementary and alternative therapies worked then they would be complementary and alternative, they would be main stream). Maybe Salior may explain what he meant; and All this stuff about energy therapies really does get me going. Energy is the capacity to do work - we consume food that gets metabolised, stored as small molecules that can be further metabolised when the body works, either to maintain our existence or to have some form of work output. The energy stored on the chemical bonds of the molecules that make up our food is converted to work and ultimately heat. And then; Anything flowing from someone' finger, hands, touching or hovering over another person is not energy, cannot be measured and is one great con job - it doesn't exist. If it makes you feel better then fine, but it ain't going to make you better as far as cancer is concerned. Before you all jump down my throat, just remember that 50 years ago the overall survival from cancer was about 25%. It is now about 60%. That has come about through the application of good science and rigorous testing, not mumbo-jumbo and supposed energy therapies. If you find me offensive - produce the evidence for your claims. No I don't find you offencive, I just put you in the uniformed group supportive of the negative approach adopted by conventional medicine and the drug lobby, yes there is a lobby by the drug companies, just do some calculations about how much money is collected by the charaties, fed into research??????. Remember energy work can do no harm, drugs can. I can recall the actions and work done by a Doctor and a Pathalogist in Western Australia. In finding a cure for Stomack Ulsers. The medical Profession were against the conclusions and the treatment. It took 10 years to prove that they were right, for that they received the Nobel Prize. I am well awarethat it is difficult to establish the fact that Energy Therapies do work, therapies Like Reiki, Kinesology, EFT and Qgong all have their place in working in the Psychic/Emotional body and when that happens, the calmness and the comfort works witin then the conventional medicine has a better chance of working.. I am not into the statics of cancer; (just remember that 50 years ago the overall survival from cancer was about 25%. It is now about 60%. That has come about through the application of good science and rigorous testing, not mumbo-jumbo and supposed energy therapies). What is not required is the retorick of "It is Mumbo Jumbo or supposed Energy Therapies". Somebody may disagree with you. I am prepared to put up my money, are you. LOL Salior, sorry "Sailor"

[harker]

I'm looking for a therapy That will increase my energy Then just like a cold or flu Cancer would be gone next week - it's true H

[Sailor]

Actually any of these therapies can do great harm if people believe that they will be somehow or other made better and then neglect proven methods. I have seen too many people conned out of money and life going off to be treated with extracts of apricot kernels, dodgy practices in the Cook Islands and faith healers in the Phillipines. Whilst complementary therapies may give you a feeling of wellness, I actually object to the term complementary therapies being applied to some of them, for example, exercise is just good common sense, as is a good non-extreme but healthy diet. But when it comes to so called energy therapies I will ask the question - can you measure it? Because you can measure energy flows, energy potential, work out put and heat output. If you can't measure it, then stop call it 'energy' , call it something else. Maybe hocus-pocus. Sure drug companies put money into developing drugs, so do a lot of other organisations. Before any one gets them they are rigorously tested and have to get through a very tight regulatory framework. Same with other modalities such as radiotherapy. They have to be shown to work by agreed scientific methods. So yes I'm prepared to put my money where my mouth is - put your 'energy' therapies to a randomised controlled clinical trial - that is the gold standard of evidence. If you can't then don't promote them. As far as uninformed goes - you have no what qualifications, experience or expertise I have, so do be careful. Regards Sailor

[Sailor]

A therapy to increase my energy Sounds miraculous! But then miracles exist in the eye Of believing beholders. Why do we restrict the miraculous To the supernatural? Or why don't we believe in the - Placebo effect? Sailor

[Kitty]

Hi Sailor, Oh I love a good argument/discussion. Some people suffering with cancer will try anything to fight and win over it. If it makes you feel good and you believe in it then that is ok for you. Just keep an open mind and the realisation that when it comes to cancer people can be desperate and I don't think they care about the meaning of words such as 'energy'. Getting pernickty about the meaning of words when we all know they are talking about treatments that are hard to describe to anyone who isn't open to them. Critisize those that are trying to rip off the desperately ill, and promise cures that aren't certain. I too suffer from lack of energy and am still recovering, so I am careful with execise and good food that provides energy and prevents dehydration. We are all inviduals and so our bodies may respond differently, it can be mentally draining just to arrange all this. Cheers Kitty