Witchcraft Resurgence

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Why are so many people today shunning real medicine, vaccines etc for hoaxes and gimmicks like essential oils, weight loss powders, etc? Any ideas why so many are turning away from actual medicine?

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
2 hours ago, HelpfulNatureHopeful said:

It just all sounds like the same thing, like mentioned before, prayer, meditation, spells etc. Just different words for sitting and reflecting. Makes sense to me now.

Let's just say there's a certain amount of overlap. But I think you're on the right track.

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Because doctors and “big pharma” are out to get us all! Doctors just care about money! “Big pharma” has a cure for cancer but they’re too greedy to actually use it because of all that money they’d lose!

I want to smack people who say that. Grrr.

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Weed cures cancer. Cures everything actually.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
33 minutes ago, HelpfulNatureHopeful said:

Weed cures cancer. Cures everything actually.

But I thought plants couldn't cure cancer - you said so yourself!

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Specializes in Addictions, Psych.
1 hour ago, HelpfulNatureHopeful said:

Weed cures cancer. Cures everything actually.

This is actually a good example. My father had stage 4 colon cancer and he was practically skeletal from chemotherapy-related side effects. He was prescribed the prescription drug dronabinol as an appetite stimulant and to suppress nausea and vomiting.

Dronabinol is a synthetic form of specific tetrahydrocannabinols (THC), meaning marijuana. It's prescribed to combat AIDS-related wasting and nausea, vomiting, and anorexia related to chemotherapy.

Did a drug derived from marijuana cure his cancer? Not directly, but it allowed him to gain weight and build the strength to survive the surgery that ultimately saved his life.

Dronabinol can be expensive for patients. Medical marijuana is far less expensive in states where it's legal, and for those with medical cards or certification, the effects are the same -- to the best of my knowledge, states with legalized medical marijuana have cancer, AIDS, and other diseases with wasting syndromes as approved diagnoses.

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45 minutes ago, hppygr8ful said:

But I thought plants couldn't cure cancer - you said so yourself!

And your sarcasm detectors broken. And yes I know it may be beneficial, but if you ask many Americans, weed is the wonder cure that the government won’t legalize because it’ll kill all business. ?

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Specializes in Addictions, Psych.
26 minutes ago, HelpfulNatureHopeful said:

weed is the wonder cure that the government won’t legalize because it’ll kill all business. ?

Medical marijuana is legal in 33 states and the pharmaceutical business is still thriving.

I think the point is even if some people have beliefs that aren't rooted in hard science, there's nothing anyone can do to change their minds.

If we circle back to the beginning of this whole thread, I think that's the answer.

Look at it this way: In 1998 some quack published a falsified study that vaccines cause autism and people latched on to it. Why? Because it gave people an answer to something that didn't have one. Autism is still being studied and there are a lot of factors that can contribute to a child developing ASD. By pinning their child's disorder on vaccines, it gives the parents something to blame, something that wasn't their fault.

So now, if vaccines can cause autism, what else are pharmaceutical companies doing that can cause harm to ourselves or our children, and how can we fix that damage? Thus, the market for alternative therapies and naturopathic "medicine" blossomed and became a pretty solid market for anyone to hawk whatever product they could slap a "natural" label on. Detoxes, essential oils, forcing children to drink industrial bleach (yes, this is a thing) and whatever else people could think of took off like wildfire. And the success of these products was based on anecdotal evidence.

It's a market based on fear and distrust. People want the best for their children, or families and they have been led to believe that "natural" products are more trustworthy than pharma.

Another example is the use of elderberry and elderberry syrups for colds. Elderberry is high in vitamin C, which is known to boost the immune system. Does it cure a cold? No. Does taking vitamin C do the same thing?

According to this study, yes:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4848651/

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These are all placebos. I have no problem with placebos as long as they are labeled as such, are harmless, and the patient knows they are receiving one.

Essential oils have a placebo effect when used for aromatherapy. They do not cure viruses and bacteria when rubbed on the soles of the feet. Yes, we sometimes have patients making their rashes worse when applying essential oils.

When you think about it, antibiotics are also placebos in many cases. Sadly, they are commonly prescribed for viral infections.

Reiki??? Give me a break! Placebo is written all over it!

The best prescription we can give a patient sometimes is "nothing". Improve your diet, exercise and get out in nature. These are all free activities that will have the greatest impact on health.

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Specializes in Addictions, Psych.
9 minutes ago, 2BS Nurse said:

These are all placebos. I have no problem with placebos as long as they are labeled as such, are harmless, and the patient knows they are receiving one.

Real question -- if something is labeled a placebo or the patient KNOWS it's a placebo...doesn't that make it, by definition, not a placebo?

EDIT: I'm wrong and can admit it:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/placebo-can-work-even-know-placebo-201607079926

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I was thinking that lol.

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3 minutes ago, WhaleTails said:

Real question -- if something is labeled a placebo or the patient KNOWS it's a placebo...doesn't that make it, by definition, not a placebo?

EDIT: I'm wrong and can admit it:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/placebo-can-work-even-know-placebo-201607079926

Yes, this article makes my point. Patients need to know when they are receiving a placebo. It is unethical to tell them otherwise.

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