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560 Posts |
 Posted - 10/21/2005 : 06:23:18
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The Lancent published a huge study some time ago about homeopathy and concluded it is completely bogus. See: http://www.time.com/time/columnist/jaroff/article/0,9565,1114166,00.html
I tend to agree with them.
Not suprising, the Lancet article brought some backlash. See, for example, http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=140124&n_date=20051018&cat=Health
Some of this new age stuff has medical merit (such as meditating) but a lot of these "treatments" are merely acting as placebos in my opinion....MindBody Medicine and the exciting field of Psychoneuroimmunology. See Dr. Gabor Mate's excellent book Whe The Body Says No at: http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780676973129
Excerpt from When the Body Says No
“Only an intellectual luddite would deny the enormous benefits that have accrued to humankind from the scrupulous application of scientific methods. But not all aspects of illness can be reduced to facts verified by double-blind studies and by the strictest scientific techniques. We confine ourselves to a narrow realm indeed if we exclude from accepted knowledge the contributions of human experience and insight. . . .
“In 1892 William Osler, one of the greatest physicians of all time, suspected rheumatoid arthritis to be a stress-related disorder. Today rheumatology all but ignores that wisdom, despite the supporting scientific evidence that has accumulated in the 110 years since Osler first published his text. That is where the narrow scientific approach has brought the practice of medicine. Elevating modern science to be the final arbiter of our sufferings, we have been too eager to discard the insights of previous ages.”
Read Ottawa Citizen editorial below...
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A mind-body balance
The Ottawa Citizen
October 21, 2005
A group of American neuroscientists who don't want the Dalai Lama to address their annual meeting are forgetting what makes science scientific.
Nine hundred of the Society for Neuroscience's 20,000 or so members have signed a petition objecting to an upcoming lecture by the Tibetan Buddhist leader. He's to talk about meditation, specifically about a study (at a California centre he helped establish) that suggests experienced monks can use meditation to activate parts of their brains associated with contentment and compassion.
The study had structural problems, from questions about the researchers' objectivity to the quality of the control group. The researchers admit as much. Still, the results seem to confirm anecdotal evidence that meditating makes a lot of people feel better.
The petitioners are objecting on the grounds that the Dalai Lama will bring undue attention to an inconclusive study; that Buddhist reincarnation is contrary to the neuroscientific belief that the mind and the body are inseparable; and that the Dalai Lama is a political figure and thus a distraction.
It's a pity that the scientists would reject some things the Dalai Lama will say because they object to other things he says. It's reminiscent of the medical establishment's previous denial that elements of naturopathy could have any more merit than blood letting or homeopathy. Science has shown that some naturopathic remedies work, and medicine has been enriched.
The proper response for science is not to reject the unfamiliar, but to subject it to rigorous questioning. Scientists who prejudge are guilty of the very error they find in the Dalai Lama, that of putting faith before proof.
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altherunner
Canada
511 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2005 : 17:33:02
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The article just shows how some scientists must be so closed minded.
The monk's meditation obviously has some effects on all aspects of their mind, body and spirit. Just being a monk must be a tough gig! |
Edited by - altherunner on 10/21/2005 17:35:06 |
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Editorial in Ottawa Citizen & my comments
