| 'You don't really believe these bizarre | | | | them in touch with the fact that they |
| techniques work, do you?' This or other | | | | are not as convinced as they think they |
| similar often less polite comments are | | | | are that the therapy does not work. If |
| common responses when we try to convince | | | | they were really as certain as they |
| our more sceptical and scientific | | | | claim then they would be happy to do |
| friends and acquaintances about the | | | | this because they would know that I |
| power and efficacy of our favourite | | | | couldn't possibly make them ill.Many |
| alternative and complementary therapies. | | | | doctors only ever meet our failures. I |
| Many of us are left floundering in the | | | | once met a doctor who claimed that |
| face of the superiority of their total | | | | osteopathy was dangerous on the grounds |
| conviction in their rightness. Over the | | | | that his patients who had been to see |
| years I have developed several different | | | | one had come back to him in more pain. I |
| approaches to the sceptic. I do not use | | | | pointed out to him that if the |
| all these approaches at the same time, | | | | osteopathic treatment had been |
| but try to assess which approach will | | | | successful then his patients would not |
| work. If one tactic doesn't work, then I | | | | have come back to him. Similarly, |
| try another approach. My success is not | | | | complementary therapists only tend to |
| 100% but I have managed to convince many | | | | see the disasters of allopathic |
| sceptics and hostile scientists to take | | | | medicine. Many of my clients complain to |
| a second look at these ideas and | | | | me of their doctors' insensitivity and |
| therapies. Some of these original | | | | ignorance. I always remind myself that |
| sceptics have become my greatest | | | | there are many people who are satisfied |
| supporters and have, in turn, managed to | | | | with conventional medicine and the |
| convince many other people to consider | | | | treatment they receive: they are so |
| these therapies.Sceptics often see the | | | | satisfied that they do not come to see |
| success as being purely attributable to | | | | me.Even if sceptics admit that people |
| a placebo effect. It is argued that | | | | are genuinely getting well they will |
| because people believe that it will work | | | | often dismiss the therapies because we |
| it does. In fact many of the people who | | | | cannot adequately explain how it works. |
| come to me say they find it very hard to | | | | I offer the following story to these |
| believe that it will work. Some clients | | | | people. Many years ago when one of my |
| ask incredulously: 'Can this really | | | | sons was small we were travelling to my |
| work?' or 'Is that it?' Other clients | | | | parents' house to celebrate their Golden |
| have told me that they have walked out | | | | Wedding Anniversary. My son had been |
| after the first visit convinced they | | | | entranced by our preparations: the |
| have just wasted their time and their | | | | golden presents being wrapped in golden |
| money, only to find that they do get | | | | paper. On the journey we stopped at a |
| better, that their symptoms do diminish | | | | motorway service station and he picked |
| and that they feel happier and healthier | | | | up a packet of Durex Gold condoms. 'What |
| than they have for a long time. It's not | | | | are these?' he asked curiously |
| a very good placebo if so many people | | | | (obviously wanting to know whether this |
| are so unimpressed by it! Small babies | | | | would be a good additional present for |
| and children respond to kinesiology and | | | | Grandma and Granddad). 'Condoms,' I |
| other therapies very well. A 6-week old | | | | replied. 'What are they for?' was the |
| baby was brought to see me because she | | | | inevitable next question. 'They are |
| was failing to thrive. She was sick | | | | things that men put on their willies to |
| every time she was fed and was losing | | | | stop ladies having babies,' I told him. |
| weight much to the concern of her | | | | He gave me a very hard look to make |
| parents and the medical profession. The | | | | certain that I really meant this bizarre |
| mother had tried various baby milk | | | | statement and then he shook his head and |
| formulas (including soya-based ones) to | | | | said: 'Strange, very strange.'Of course, |
| no avail. I found that the baby was | | | | to him the idea that men wearing |
| allergic to the tap water that her | | | | something could stop women having babies |
| mother used to make up the formulas. We | | | | was bizarre, because he lacked a vital |
| changed the tap water source and used | | | | piece of information that made sense of |
| some homeopathic treatment and the baby | | | | this statement. The situation with many |
| responded immediately. This can hardly | | | | complementary therapies is bizarre |
| be attributed to a placebo effect, | | | | precisely because we lack information |
| particularly as the baby slept through | | | | that would make sense of it. It is the |
| the whole procedure, only waking as she | | | | job of the scientific community to |
| was leaving my office. Even if it were a | | | | provide this information. Their model |
| placebo, I have a placebo that works in | | | | cannot explain the undoubted success of |
| many instances where conventional | | | | much alternative medicine. It is not |
| medicine has failed.The most direct way | | | | sufficient (or scientific) to call the |
| to convince a sceptic is, of course, to | | | | therapies bizarre and unscientific. It |
| improve his/her health using these | | | | is necessary to find a model that makes |
| techniques. Some years a man came to | | | | sense of these therapies. The inadequacy |
| see me about the severe arthritis he had | | | | is on the part of the scientific |
| in his knees. Although he was only in | | | | community that cannot explain |
| his 30's and an ambitious man he was | | | | kinesiology and many other successful |
| only able to work part-time because he | | | | and increasingly popular therapies. It |
| was in such pain. During the initial | | | | is not on the part of therapists who are |
| conversation he told me that I would not | | | | busy helping people to get better and |
| be able to help him. I was surprised at | | | | heal themselves.Many of the sceptics are |
| this and asked him why he had come to | | | | implicitly arguing that medicine is |
| see me. He told me that both his wife | | | | scientific, rigorously assessed (with |
| and his neighbour were clients of mine. | | | | double blind trials etc.), but this is |
| Whenever he complained about the pain in | | | | far from the truth. For example, saliva |
| his knees they would 'nag' him to come | | | | swabs were taken from 12,000 children |
| and see me. He had decided he would come | | | | whose GP's had diagnosed that they had |
| to see me simply to stop them nagging. I | | | | measles. 97.5% of these children were |
| did not spend a long time explaining or | | | | found not to be suffering from measles |
| justifying the strange therapy but got | | | | (Daily Telegraph January 8th 1997). We |
| his agreement that he would do | | | | are not talking about doctors |
| everything I asked him to do. He came | | | | misdiagnosing some obscure disease, but |
| back for the second session and told me | | | | a common disease that is much discussed. |
| that his knees were much worse. 'You're | | | | Many drugs have been found to be |
| the only person that's ever managed to | | | | ineffective or, even worse, to involve |
| do anything,' he said. This was a rather | | | | serious side effects. Pethidine, for |
| surprising but encouraging comment. By | | | | instance, given to huge numbers of women |
| the time he came for his third session | | | | to reduce pain in labour has been found |
| his knees had improved dramatically and | | | | to be ineffective (What the Doctors |
| he had taken a new full-time job that | | | | Don't Tell You March 1997). A doctor |
| involved him in driving thousands of | | | | specialising in anaesthetic and pain |
| miles each month in a non-automatic car. | | | | relief told me that many of the |
| He was delighted and subsequently | | | | operations used for intractable pain had |
| recommended many other people to come | | | | never been fully tested and in his |
| and see me.A man with macular | | | | opinion many of these were useless |
| degeneration of the eyes said at the end | | | | procedures submitting people to more |
| of his final appointment, 'I don't mean | | | | distress and pain. Many drugs have had |
| to be rude. What you do is a joke, but I | | | | to be withdrawn after devastating side |
| have no other explanation for why my | | | | effects have been found. In many ways |
| eyesight is getting better.'In the past | | | | doctors and 'scientific' people are |
| I often offered to show sceptics how | | | | asking standards from complementary |
| powerful health kinesiology was. Some | | | | therapy that medicine and science do not |
| refused to let me do anything, but | | | | achieve.A frequent comment from my |
| others agreed to have a short session. | | | | clients is that though the therapy (in |
| When their symptom improved or | | | | my case health kinesiology) seems |
| disappeared after the treatment they | | | | bizarre, I seem very sane and |
| would often say 'But it would probably | | | | down-to-earth. They feel that they can |
| have gone anyway' or 'I don't feel any | | | | trust me and that I am acting with |
| different'. Eventually I got frustrated | | | | honesty and integrity. More than |
| with this sort of response so I decided | | | | conventional doctors we need to prove |
| to offer to make the sceptic worse | | | | that we are intelligent, honest, |
| rather than better. 'I will put your | | | | knowledgeable and skilful.Based on an |
| body so out of balance that you will get | | | | article first published in 'Positive |
| sickness and diarrhoea' I now volunteer | | | | Health' in March 1998Jane Thurnell-Read |
| innocently. I am sure skilled | | | | is a writer and researcher on health, |
| homeopaths, herbalists, masseuses and | | | | stress, alternative medicine, and |
| reflexologists could do this too. I have | | | | happiness. Visit her web site for tips |
| not yet found anyone who is willing to | | | | and information on how to live a |
| let me try to do this, in spite of the | | | | happier, healthier life no matter how |
| fact that they believe that the therapy | | | | busy you are. |
| is nonsense! This offer of mine puts | | | | |