List Of Alternative Medicine
list of alternative medicine question by Dr_ Stormy NZ Osteopath: Does the conventional medical profession want exclusive rights to healthcare provision?
I asked another question about conventional medicine and whether or not its advocating a kind of fascism which has had some really interesting answers. Among them was an answer from a psychiatrist based in Canada who listed his recommendations for how Altmeders should be allowed to practice in his image:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Au1FqorWwm0Fc.afwQf7Sd7ty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100525005635AAG9m6g
1) All practitioners of any alternative medicine would need to be licensed by a professional organization and by the government.
2) All alt-med practitioners would need to complete courses about evidenced based medicine, anatomy, pharmacology, advanced first aid, and then would be required to take a test.
3) Based upon the knowledge from (2) an alt-med practitioner should not be allowed to treat a person with a severe medical problem accept when that treatment is done in tandem with other treatments.
4) Before seeing an alt-med practitioner a patient would have a sign a form indicating that (for most things) there is no empirical evidence it works and that by not getting traditional medicine they may be risking their health.
5) It should be illegal for an alt-med practitioner to treat a minor unless there is parental consent and a physician (like a pediatrician) puts in writing that treatment may be done but that it will not replace standard treatment.
6) It should also be illegal for an alt-med practitioner to treat a person critically ill who needs immediate medical attention. And that practitioner should have the training to make a distinction between severe problems and minor issues.
Some of these make perfect sense but number 4 is utterly ridiculous as conventional healthcare kills and maims more people than all the systems of alternative medicine combined!
3, 5 & 6 seem to indicate that in order for us to treat patients we should have permission from an MD. What the patient wants would be irrelevant if an MD disagrees.
Being a government sanctioned primary care practitioner I would be insulted by these proposals. I am perfectly capable of assessing whether or not a patient is safe to treat and differentiating between major and minor healthcare issues so I only need permission from the patient to treat them if you don’t mind!
Would many doctors share this view or is this a personal view?
Joe, I’m a non US trained Osteopath. I have gone through rigorous training and around 60 exams to qualify. I’ve done supervised clinical practice and taken government regulatory exams. I am not self taught.
Do you seriously believe that only MD’s have the ability to work in healthcare?
Lets go the whole hog, do I need your permission to see a dentist or have my eyes examined too?
BTW you don’t have to employ a lawyer in all legal cases although most people choose too.
Also if someone can come along and do ‘their job’ they have to live with it. Thats what business and free enterprise is about. If this new individual is competent and safe whats the problem?
Are you thinking about the patients needs or your pay packet?
list of alternative medicine best answer:
Answer by Joe
I think I can best answer this question by asking another:
What do you suppose that LAWYERS would say if you asked them if they would be okay with having PARALEGALS or self-educated people take up the practice of law? Do you think they would be okay with it as long as they were just “minor cases”….do you think they would give their “permission” for others to do their jobs?
I don’t think so…….so my answer is – I don’t think you’ll find a lot of physicians MD or DO who would agree.
