Conference Postscript

Since the August meeting I have had a number of letters (six to be precise), hardly an avalanche, but they raise some interesting points.

My thanks to member Jim Ping of Nelson for sending details of the American publication, rebutting many of the alternative medical arguments, which has been ordered for the Wellington Medical School Library.

When I was looking for references for my talk I came across a little gem in the Medical School Library. It was written by a qualified doctor, who in pursuit of holism has made a heroic attempt to provide a rational explanation of the entirely irrational. It seems that the true believing holist must believe everything from acupuncture to Zen, the doctrine of infinite credulity (or gullibility). In dealing with the loonier flights of alternative fantasy he asserts that they work but he doesn't know why, in the sections on the 'respectable' methods like acupuncture there is a subtle change to 'this really works' (but he still doesn't know why).

Doctors need to know about alternative medicine because many of their patients like to talk about it. Understandably many doctors, who often do not have time to spare for irrelevancies, cut short such discussions by telling patients that they don't know anything about alternative medicine. Unfortunately this lends credibility to the alternativist claims that doctors have dismissed alternative medicine through ignorance. Reasoned rebuttal can turn some patients away from alternative medicine.

Alternative medicine is an important issue because it causes unnecessary suffering in vulnerable patients. One lady wrote about the effects of an alternative diet on her husband who was dying of cancer. The patient hated it and only persisted because of the enthusiasm of his children, but eventually he gave it away in a glorious orgy of fish and chips and felt better for having done so. The letter was a dignified expression of regret, the lady wished to remain anonymous, had this not been so I would have sent it to this newsletter.

A second lady, whose family and friends appear to be getting more than their fair share of cancers wrote extolling the virtues of various fashionable alternative treatments without being too specific about what these were supposed to have achieved. She urged union of orthodox and alternative medicine but did not say how this was to be achieved. The letter was obviously sincere and well meant, unfortunately in medicine as in most other human activities you need more than good intentions to produce results.

Another lady wrote to tell me that she had seen through my disgraceful attack on those wonderful people in alternative medicine and that she knew that I was trying to divert attention from the inquiry at the National Women's Hospital. It is ironic that she should have picked this particular example of the shortcomings of the medical profession as a justification for alternative medicine.

If it is shown that the allegations were correct, the conduct of the doctors concerned is indefensible. It should be remembered that the major allegation was that women who needed surgery to cure cancers did not get that surgery. The alternativists believe that cancer surgery (hacking and slashing as they call it) merely spreads the disease and if they had their way nobody would have it. The inquiry will reach its decision on the basis of medical evidence, not that of naturopaths, acupuncturists, gurus or psychic surgeons.

Apparently doctors are awful, the people of New Zealand are thoroughly fed up with them and unless we mend our ways we are heading for some kind of unspecified bad end. Unfortunately I have not as yet been able to alert the whole medical profession to its impending doom, so like that of the Gadarene swine it is probably inevitable now. The writer did not give her occupation, but I was reminded strongly of a headmistress upbraiding a wicked and recalcitrant first form.

Chairman Denis Dutton has taken to reading the New Zealand Journal of Alternative Medicine (also known as the Listener) and is not liking what he finds. I have warned him that too much exposure to that which passes as thought and insight in the Listener may soften and damage the brain and taking it too seriously could raise the blood pressure. As is so often the case my wise advice has fallen on deaf ears, developments are awaited with interest.

The editor of a journal distributed to all the G.P.s in New Zealand has written inviting some words on alternative medicine. This invitation was accepted with alacrity because it is a golden opportunity to propagate the gospel of rational medicine, but I have to admit that the offer of money may have increased the level of enthusiasm slightly.