Sysiphus Speaks

The care she received in the last months of her life was from naturopathic physicians and acupuncturists, practitioners she believed in because they took the time with her, but, critically, whose services she could afford.

All of whom missed the diagnosis that killed her

In my feeds I kept seeing variations of the theme: acupuncture treats sepsis. As an infectious disease doc it tweaked my interest since sepsis (a particularly severe manifestation of infection) is a disease that I routinely treat.

So what was this amazing study? Dopamine mediates vagal modulation of the immune system by electroacupuncture.

It wasn’t the acupuncture, it was the medications.

When I first read this article and looked at the table that demonstrated the marked difference in medication use between the two groups, I could not believe it. I read it over and over, thinking, no that couldn’t be, I must be missing something. Because that renders the conclusion so senselessly foolish. I could not understand how anyone could be blind to what would appear to be a simple explanation of the difference in outcomes between the two groups. The most impressive example of confirmation bias I have ever seen.

SCIgen can’t even come close to the nonsense of what is accepted as reality in the realm of pseudo-medicine.

Just as Hawaiian legislators were pushing back against the overly broad scope of naturopathic practitioners, they turned around and decided to expand the scope of chiropractic practice. What the right hand giveth to consumer protection, the left hand taketh away.

She knew that she needed to protect herself from acquiring their illness so she took Airborne.

​And, surprise, surprise, she went on to develop first fevers, then a cough, then shortness of breath, then an admission to the ICU for pneumonia with a touch of sepsis.

I like to refer to Portland (Oregon, not Maine) and its environs is the great Pacific NW. Seattle, of course, is excluded in that designation. Just need to be clear. Over the years Oregon has been a leader in environmental issues and great beer, two of the many reasons I like to live here.

Unfortunately, Oregon is also at the top of the list for unvaccinated Kindergartners. It is a sobering graphic with more than 6% of Oregonian are exempt from vaccines for non-medical reasons. You can see what the rates are for your state and gloat accordingly.

But if trolls do turn up on the site, it is nice to know they can be banned without worrying overmuch. To judge from a recent paper, Trolls just want to have fun, trolls are not good people:

The Senate Health Care Committee recently voted in favor of the bill but with substantial amendments that essentially rewrote it. As the bill stands now, the education and training requirement is gone. A naturopath with prescribing privileges would need to have a "collegial relationship" with an MD or DO who will review the naturopath's prescriptions quarterly and report any concerns to the naturopath and to the naturopathic board.

Lists are popular as well, although I tend to run across those on my Zite feed. As an example, 5 Unique Wellness Tips From Other Cultures. It was number 5 that peaked by curiosity: Earthing/Grounding.