Safety IS a valid concern, considering the fact that we're all, in a
sense, "living on the edge". You've heard of that vital gaseous
element so necessary for life that constitutes approximatelly 21% of
the earth's atmosphere - oxygen? Well, it turns out (according to
Material Safety Data Sheets that accompany Medical and industrial
compressed or liquid Oxygen cylinders) that prolonged exposure to
levels higher than 75% can cause central nervous system depression
including headache, dizziness, drowsiness, poor coordination, slowed
reaction time, slurred speech, giddiness and even UNCONSCIOUSNESS.
And breathing greater than 40% concentration for 1 - 2 days by
newborn, and especially premature, infants has been reported to cause
blindness. (Journal, Indian Academy of Clinical Medicine Vol. 4, No. 3
July-September 2003 p.235; Kelly F.J. Free radical disorders of
preterm infants. British Medical Bulletin 1993;49 (3):481-93.) That
doesn't exactly sound "safe", does it? (Of course, prolonged oxygen
deprivation can be even MORE dangerous!)
But, if even something so "safe" and necessary can be dangerous when
out of it's natural state and handled unwisely, surely everything else
MUST carry SOME degree of risk, mustn't it? --- EVEN MEDICAL
TREATMENT??? --- Or is that not supposed to be brought up in "polite
society"? If not, the facts are apparantly rather "impolite".
An exceptionally comprehensive and candid "study of studies" was
reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 279
No. 15, April 15, 1998 (JAMA.1998;279:1200-1205). In their article
"Incidence of Adverse Drug Reactions in Hospitalized Patients --- A
Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies", Jason Lazarou, MSc; Bruce H.
Pomeranz, MD, PhD; and Paul N. Corey, PhD analyzed over 30 years of
data from U.S. hospitals (which use only FDA approved prescription
drugs with "professional" supervision) to obtain the overall incidence
of SERIOUS ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS ---defined as those that required
hospitalization, were permanently disabling, or resulted in death.
Based on the resulting percentages (of which they report VERY SMALL
variation throughout the entire period) and a recent year's total
hospital admissions, they estimated that approximately TWO MILLION
hospital patients ANNUALLY have SERIOUS adverse drug reactions with
approximately 100,000 FATALITIES (calling it the 4th LEADING CAUSE OF
DEATH in the U.S.! --- ahead of pulmonary disease, diabetes, AIDS,
pneumonia, accidents, and automobile deaths).
Dr.Barbara Starfield, M.D. (July 26, 2000 Journal of the American
Medical Association, 284(4), 483-485. "Is US health really the best in
the world?") indicates that America's TOTAL healthcare-system-INDUCED
deaths are the THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH in the U.S., after heart
disease and cancer. According to several research studies in the
previous decade, a total of 225,000 Americans PER YEAR have died
AS A RESULT OF their medical treatments:
12,000 deaths per year due to unnecessary surgery
7000 deaths per year due to medication errors in hospitals
20,000 deaths per year due to other errors in hospitals
80,000 deaths per year due to infections in hospitals
106,000 deaths per year due to negative effects of drugs
--- Awfully risky sounding stuff, wouldn't you say? ---
*****************************************************
Incidentally, this article is no longer available to the public, but
is "archived" in a password-protected section of their website ----you
and I were NOT supposed to see this.
So, by comparison, what's the "danger" of non-medical health care?
Good nutrition? Surely not! Proper posture and physical alignment? Not
likely! ----Oh!---- "It doesn't actually CURE anything." ---Well, let's
get one thing straight here and now. Drugs and surgery don't actually
"cure" anything, either. Primarily they alleviate symptoms ---
sometimes life-threatening ones ---so they CAN be quite valuable to
some folks at times. But drugs mostly mask, hide, or cover up the
symptom so it doesn't bother us. So, even for SERIOUS ILLNESS, we
often get what many non-prescription medications promise: "Prompt,
TEMPORARY Relief". Naturally, we're all attracted to the "Prompt"
part. When we're sick the last thing we are is patient. (The doctor
who first started calling sick people "patients" was surely indulging
in wishful thinking.) But we're inclined to overlook that "temporary"
part.
Most non-medical therapies, on the other hand, concentrate on the
CAUSE of the ailment. Not the absolute ROOT cause, mind you. No
field of human knowledge understands that completely. But, addressing
the chief CONTRIBUTING causes (rather than just the pain or other
symptoms not of ease but of DIS-ease) often brings more lasting
relief by means of the body's own built-in healing abilities. That's
the only TRUE healing there ever is. (Not to say there are NO risks.
See Part 8 - "Is It For You" --- or keep reading; you'll get there.)
This objective might also be described as a FUNCTIONAL difference.
Most drugs in one way or another tend to FORCE the living organism
(animal or human) to respond biologically in a specific way WHETHER
OR NOT it has the inner resources to do so successfully AND whether
or not it needs to accomplish something else FIRST in order to heal
itself PROPERLY. If you're remodeling a room (or the house), for
example, you DON'T install new carpet 'till you've pulled up the old
and cleaned up from the rest of the renovation. Likewise, the
more-natural therapies try to supply the body what it needs to do IT'S
work IT'S WAY, or help and encourage in any way possible and practical
WITHOUT arbitrarily "taking over" and perhaps inadvertently working
AGAINST it's efforts instead of WITH it. Although this may take a
little longer (and progress somewhat "unconventionally" at times), it
doesn't mean the therapy isn't working.
But, to those who have never personally seen or experienced anything
except the "Prompt, Temporary Relief" scenario, this aspect of natural
healing may sometimes be a bit "ALARMING"; so they may assume
nothing is being done, someone is being terribly neglected, or
"the patient's gonna die!" Granted, there's no therapy that ALWAYS
works. REMEMBER THE 3rd LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH REPORTED ABOVE! If
that's the risk you prefer to take, that's your choice and YOUR
BUSINESS. But some of us for decades have seen and experienced
reasons to feel MUCH SAFER taking these other "risks" instead.
(See:
"Growing Up REALLY Drug Free --- A True Story"
for an example. Or keep reading --- you'll get there.)
( If WE promise NOT to get all excited and upset over the risks we
perceive YOU'RE taking and try to tell YOU what to do; promise you won't
get all excited, upset and worried about OUR health care choices!?!? )
"Ah! yes. But personal experience can be deceptive!" you're saying.
"Is there any SCIENTIFIC evidence these natural therapies really work?"
Please see
"4. Is It Scientific?"
on the next page--->