Medical Quackery: Let's talk.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

As a well-seasoned nurse I've come across so many medical quackery kind of stories but this one sort of pushed me over the top of the frustration meter. We were talking about it yesterday at work with some of the physicians and nurses so I came home and looked it up.

I've already heard about bleach enemas curing autism by removing toxins from your system. But this one was new to me. I'm hoping this "archbishop" gets the book thrown at him for peddling this elixir (aka "sacrament"). Watch the video . . .

Husband Says Fringe Church's 'Miracle Cure' Killed His Wife - Yahoo

Quote

The U.S. government and medical experts say MMS is really nothing more than a kind of industrial bleach -- a mixture of sodium chlorite and water -- and, when used as directed can cause serious harm to a person's health.

"They might as well be selling Clorox," said Ben Mizer of the U.S. Department of Justice. "You wouldn't drink Clorox, so there is no reason you should drink MMS."

How about the rest of you? Any quackeries you'd like to rant about?

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I saw that piece the other day. The reporter confronted the "pastor," and he called the reporter a total "piece of %$#@." That's really Godly, huh? SMH...

[SmilingBluEyes]

There is a homeopathy-loving all natural mom on FB who often posts alternative "treatments" to vaccination, like herbs and oils. I guess no one she has come in contact with has suffered the effects of say, polio. I find it pretty awful that people are buying into such junk, endangering their kids, who have no say, and others who cannot undergo immunization d/t being on chemo, allergic, etc. I really fear diseases like polio and smallpox, as well as others, making a fearsome comeback thanks to such ignorance.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

Agree with the flu shot thing. The flu shot gives me the flu. I've never had the flu until I got the flu shot. I just shake my head.

People who think fish oil and garlic are cure alls. No, they just make you stink. Lol.

All of the diet fads. People think Plexus is just fab or that other one called It Works. These companies make millions of dollars of people thinking a pill full of God knows what, will make them thin again.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Years ago a close friend was diagnosed some type of non-smoker lung cancer. He and his wife invested in a 'square wave technology' device which was going to cure him. You stood in front of said machine, lights came on and......he died, of course. Left her a widow with nine kids under the age of 16.

[CelticGoddess, BSN, RN]

meanmaryjean said:

Years ago a close friend was diagnosed some type of non-smoker lung cancer. He and his wife invested in a 'square wave technology' device which was going to cure him. You stood in front of said machine, lights came on and......he died, of course. Left her a widow with nine kids under the age of 16.

A woman who goes to church with my husband and daughter got the same thing for her husband. They paid over a hundred thousand for the thing. He has stage IV lung cancer with mets to the liver, spine, and brain. The last time I saw him, he had lost another 40lbs or so. I give him a year, max. It's really sad.

Has anyone heard of black salve? Black salve - Wikipedia

I have had several patients in the past who used black salve for insect bites (they were unable to determine if it was spider bites or some other critter). The used the black salve, and developed cellulitis. The worst I saw was a young woman who ended up with a wound on her abdomen that was 15cm x 12 cm (after surgery to remove the damaged tissue). She had to go home with a wound vac, and will NEVER bare her midriff again. All because of a quack remedy.

[kalycat, BSN, RN]

It's been all essential oils and anti vax stuff where I work. That and had a family who wanted to treat a patient's EPIC abdominal wound with all kinds of elemental creams and such -- colloidal silver, etc. They were so emphatic about it the docs ended up printing info off from poison control regarding some of the items. Of course, people will do what they want when they get home, but removing the wound vac multiple times per day to allow these treatments was *not* going to happen - and many were harmful. Some weren't, like gentian violet, but it wasn't going to do a dam thing for a gaping abdomen.

The other thing we've had lately was pertussis for multiple family members due to an anti vax stance. I've seen my fair share of trauma but I've got to tell you, watching a tiny infant try to die several times per hour due to paroxysms of coughing was absolutely awful. Shockingly, none of the essential oils helped. :barf:

ETA: That light treatment for lung cancer sounds terrible. False hope and snake oil salesman just disgust me. I try to be supportive and non-judgmental to my patients and families... but dang, that might put me over the edge.

[NurseGirl525, ASN, RN]

kalycat said:

It's been all essential oils and anti vax stuff where I work. That and had a family who wanted to treat a patient's EPIC abdominal wound with all kinds of elemental creams and such -- colloidal silver, etc. They were so emphatic about it the docs ended up printing info off from poison control regarding some of the items. Of course, people will do what they want when they get home, but removing the wound vac multiple times per day to allow these treatments was *not* going to happen - and many were harmful. Some weren't, like gentian violet, but it wasn't going to do a dam thing for a gaping abdomen.

The other thing we've had lately was pertussis for multiple family members due to an anti vax stance. I've seen my fair share of trauma but I've got to tell you, watching a tiny infant try to die several times per hour due to paroxysms of coughing was absolutely awful. Shockingly, none of the essential oils helped. :barf:

ETA: That light treatment for lung cancer sounds terrible. False hope and snake oil salesman just disgust me. I try to be supportive and non-judgmental to my patients and families... but dang, that might put me over the edge.

Isn't it sad that as a society we still live in the age of the snake oil salesman? I remember a Little House episode where people paid all their money to a man promising rain during a drought. It's the same thing these days, just with added technology. Today, society laughs that people believed in the rain man, but it's not really any different with the essential oils and light shows.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

I have 2 children with Type 1 diabetes. Anyone involved in colonics, gut therapy, supplements, paleo diet. They all have a "cure" for my kids. trying to explain that their pancreas does not work and with holding insulin will KILL them is beyond frustrating.

More frustrating are physicians that do not understand the different types of diabetes.

[quazar]

I have a kid with autism. I have heard just about everything under the sun when it comes to quackery.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

Marijuana, especially marijuana oil, as a cure for everything. I'm active on a board with a cancer forum, and one woman constantly pushes marijuana oil as a cancer cure. She says it helped her husband, who died of cancer.

[Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN]

H2O2 infusions for cancer