The Psuedoscience of Homeopathy

[cfeagans]

First, let me say how pleased I am that The Skeptic now has a discussion forum! I'm surprised it isn't teaming with posts by now!

Let me start with an article that I put on my own site after participating in a discussion in a science forum elsewhere on the Internet. I chanced upon an "info"mercial once -one of those commercials in the U.S. that pretend to be documentaries but are, in reality, adverts for products. I was appalled at the gall of the author who was being "interviewed" and my disdain snowballed into an article that has actually drawn a fair bit of response from those that have stumbled upon it on the internet.

If the moderators aren't opposed to posting content that is found elsewhere on the internet, I'd be pleased to share this bit of skepticism of Kevin Trudeau's homeopathic claims. The content is original and my own, so it's not simply a copy/paste from a random source, and it can be found at http://home.earthlink.net/~ctfeagans/trudeau.htm

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Kevin Trudeau is the author of several "self-help" books, including Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About and Mega Memory. Trudeau also has "starred" in several Infomercials in which he advertised one or more products, pretending to either be a journalist interviewing a proponent of the product or a proponent of a product pretending to be interviewed by an actor/journalist. He was penalized heavily by the Federal Trade Commission in 2004, restricting his marketing via the pseudo-news shows called "infomercials" and requiring him to pay $2 million to settle his false-claim charges.

The Pseudoscience of Kevin Trudeau and Homeopathy

Flipping channels on a Saturday morning, avoiding silly cartoons and infomercials in search of something interesting or informative, I came across an interview that I didn't initially identify as an infomercial. I quickly figured out it was a paid advertisement, but the format of the show was very much like that of Charlie Rose or a PBS talk show.

The topic, however, was the first clue: natural cures suppressed by the government and food and drug industries. The person being "interviewed" was Kevin Trudeau, the author of Natural Cures They Don't Want You To Know About.

As I listened, I was astounded at what Trudeau was saying. Not that I believed him, but that he had the audacity to make the claims he did. In the first 5 minutes of the show, Trudeau had said that there existed cures for cancer, attention deficit disorder (ADD), herpes, diabetes and acid reflux and that the Food and Drug Administration along with the food and drug industries are suppressing this information. Of course, he didn't list specific cures by name, instead citing the risk of doing so is to evoke the wrath of the government, namely the FTC and FDA. Apparently, Trudeau feels that the laws that prohibit making claims of "cures" without scientific evidence to support the claims and having the drug approved is part of the conspiracy of the government entities and industry controls to suppress homeopathy.

The FDA is in cahoots with the drug industry

Trudeau stated in this pseudo-interview that the "FDA works with the drug industry to prevent alternative, natural remedies" from being marketed. Indeed, he argues that the definitions that the FDA has established are themselves designed to favor the drug industry.

Well being critical of the drug industry is probably a healthy stand and that the FDA isn't completely competent in both its enforcement and control of safety and expense associated with the drug industry is probably accurate.

But Trudeau argues that the FDA's definition of conditions such as acid reflux, obesity and ADD as diseases is erroneous and misleading. Trudeau also is critical of the FDA's definition of a "drug," since it limits the ability of homeopathic remedies to market their products.

A Brief History of Homeoapathy

Over two hundred years ago, German physician Samuel Hahnemann developed the hypothesis that like cures like and this is the basis of modern homeopathy. In a nutshell, the idea is that symptoms of conditions can be treated with natural substances that produce similar symptoms, but because many of these substances can be toxic, even lethal, Hahnemann used a principle of dilution that he declared "the law of infintesimals" to make the substances safe for consumption. [1]

Final dilutions in homeopathy can often produce results that have 1 part medicine to 10 29 parts of water. In a dilution like this, one would have to drink 7,874 gallons of water to consume just one molecule of medicine. Some homeopathic remedies are diluted to 10 400!

Trudeau doesn't mention this in his "interview," but maintains his criticism of the FDA. The definition of a drug, he says, is such that "only a drug can cure a disease," an inference that the definition is omitting the possibility that other substances, namely "natural remedies" can "cure a disease." The FDA defines a drug[2] as: "articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in man or other animals." Clearly this isn't stating "only a drug can cure diseases," but rather that which is intended to cure a disease is a drug. If something is a drug, then it falls under the jurisdiction of the FDA and must be regulated as well as approved.

That really only leaves Trudeau with the criticism that natural remedies cannot get approval due to the bias against them by the FDA, the drug industry, and science in general. He doesn't consider that this bias is legitimate. Not even close.

Trudeau's wild and dangerous claims: the worst 10

During this infomercial / pseudo-interview, Trudeau says or argues the following. If it is in quotes, it is as near to his exact words I as I can recall. I took notes during the broadcast, but could only get some of the key points.

1. He argues that acid reflux, ADD, and obesity (among others) are not diseases.
2. He states that the drug industry is the "most profitable industry in the country."
3. He stated that there exists a natural remedy which can "cure a migraine headache forever."
4. He stated that there exists a natural remedy which can "cure arthritis forever."
5. He stated that a cure exists for cancer
6. He stated that a cure exists for types I and II diabetes.
7. He stated that "if your body's pH is alkaline you cannot get cancer," and that the "body pH" of all cancer patients was acidic.
8. He stated that the food manufacturers intentionally "put ingredients in food into make you fat [...] because fat people eat more."
9. He stated that a recent study that concluded St. John's Wort to be ineffective was based on flawed methodology because each of the other drugs tested likewise resulted in being largely ineffective to treat depression.
10. He stated that there was a cure for multiple sclerosis, which was caused by a "food additive" that gave the symptoms of MS.

I expected that Trudeau would live up to my expectations of typical pseudoscience bull and present us all with "sworn testimonials" as to the effectiveness of the natural remedies. This is a characteristic of a bogus product that should make anyone immediately suspicious, since it’s the best way to establish a belief system: get a bunch of people to swear it's true or real.

But Trudeau surprised me with his "testimonial" segment! He basically listed two or three non-specific ailments and stated that they each were better after they tried a natural remedy. The only remedy he would mention specifically was to take a tablespoon of vinegar to counteract acid reflux. He begged away from being specific citing the risk of action from the FTC or FDA if he were to divulge the actual substance used.

Acid Reflux?

Amazingly enough, Trudeau's explanation of acid reflux was that it wasn't acid that is the problem, but the gas created by the foods that are eaten. Trudeau is highly critical of the established medical knowledge on the topic and makes clear implications that the medical establishment, undoubtedly in cahoots with the government and the drug companies, are deliberately misleading the public about acid reflux disease. Indeed, Trudeau claims it isn't a "disease" at all! Instead, Trudeau claims that acid reflux is caused by not enough acid in the stomach and that the gas emitted from food digested only partially because of this lack of acid is the cause of the symptoms. That's where the "tablespoon of vinegar" comes in: it adds acid to the stomach.

However, if we want to take a medical opinion (Trudeau is not educated in medicine), acid reflux, otherwise known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), affects up to 36% of otherwise healthy Americans in the form of heartburn. While the symptoms are typically treated with over the counter remedies such as Pepto-Bismol™, there can be some serious or severe problems: "Hoarseness, chronic cough, asthma, laryngitis, recurrent pneumonia and ENT infections, nocturnal choking, sleep apnea, loss of dental enamel, bad breath and globus sensation." It has even been implicated in connection to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.[3]

Medical authorities have a very different view of what causes acid reflux/GERD. Among them are relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), decreased LES resting tone, impaired esophageal clearance, delayed gastric emptying, decreased salivation, and impaired tissue resistance. Other indirect causes include lifestyle factors such as "smoking, large meals, fatty foods, caffeine, pregnancy, obesity, body position, drugs, and hormones."[4] Clearly, Trudeau is misinformed at the least. He offers no sources for his information and only the brief testimonial of his friend who drank a little vinegar to add some acid to his stomach. In all likelihood, the friend's consumption of vinegar acted to both reduce the pH of the reflux in the esophagus and rinse it back to the stomach since the pH of vinegar is 3 and the HCl of stomach acid is between 0 and 1.

Responding to Trudeau's other quack claims

1. Diseases that Aren't: Trudeau argues that acid reflux, ADD, and obesity (among others) are not diseases.

The CDC defines disease as a "sickness; illness; an interruption, or disturbance of the bodily functions or organs, which causes or threatens pain and weakness." The Midwest Institute for Biological Control calls it a "departure from the state of health or normality." One can only wonder what definition that Trudeau uses. Type "define:disease" in Google and a plethora of definitions arise from many reputable sources such as those I just mentioned. None of them would exclude conditions such as acid reflux, ADD and even obesity.

2. The drug industry is the "most profitable industry in the country.

No argument there. This is probably the one true thing Trudeau said throughout the entire commercial. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation and Sonderegger Research Center, the pharmaceutical industry has outdone every other from 1995 until 2002, when it began to slip. In 2003, mining and crude oil production outpaced it.[5]

3. - 6. He stated that there are natural remedies that will cure: migraine headaches, arthritis, diabetes (I & II), and even cancer.

The only legitimate answer one can give this type of quackery is, "whatever." Trudeau is lying. Period. If he can demonstrate that these cures exist in rigorous, clinical tests, I'll print this essay and eat each page. If such cures existed, scientists and researchers would not sit on them. They would share them with the world. And, in answer to the argument that scientists are people and just as susceptible to greed and jealousy as the next man, I submit to you that if this is so, then the first one to write the paper and attach his or her name to the discovery will be immortalized and, perhaps, rich. The drug companies and the government could neither suppress the altruistic scientist nor the greedy one.

7. He stated that "if your body's pH is alkaline you cannot get cancer," and that the "body pH" of all cancer patients was acidic.

It is true that cancer cells cannot survive in an alkaline environment. But what Trudeau either is ignorant about or omits from his claim is that no cell in the body can survive in an alkaline state. The functions of enzymes in the body are to begin chemical reactions. Enzymes only function in a narrow range of acidic pH. If the pH balance of one's blood is affected to increase or decrease, then the body acts quickly to correct this to prevent sickness or death. Trudeau's claim of eating certain foods to increase alkalinity is bunk. All foods that go into the stomach will become acidic, after all, HCl is produced there. From the stomach, they go to the intestines and are neutralized by secretions from the pancreas. At that point, the food is alkaline. [6]

8. Food manufacturers intentionally "put ingredients in food into make you fat [...] because fat people eat more."

While that is a possibility, I wouldn't put much credibility in it. I think it’s a safer bet to believe that the food manufacturers manufacture and package foods in ways that consumers have indicated they want it. The driving principle in the last two decades has been "quick," "easy," "fast," and "fun." Microwave meals have far surpassed the "TV diners" of the 1970's in both content and speed of preparation; McDonalds has streamlined and set the standards for drive-thru method and the "Happy Meal" dominates the market in fast-food sales to kids. But this is what the consumer wants. If it wasn't, McDonalds would offer an alternative, like healthy meals with bottled water and fruit instead of cola and hot, apple pie. In fact, they are doing this due to recent public acknowledgement of the fast-food culture as being a bad habit. Trudeau would be more believable if he would simply name the "ingredient(s)" and which food companies were adding it. He also says that the United States is not able to export food, yet we had $62.3 billion in farm exports for 2004 and only $52.7 billion in agricultural imports.[7] Again, Trudeau appears misinformed.

9. St. John's Wort study had a flawed methodology because each of the other drugs tested likewise resulted in being largely ineffective to treat depression.

Trudeau is quick to point out that the study was flawed because the sertraline, which was the comparator drug didn't outperform the placebo. But neither did the St. John's Wort. He'll tell us the "study was flawed," but won't tell us how. The fact is that there needs to be more study done in order to fully evaluate whether St. John's Wort has any real effectiveness in treated depression. What is known, however, is that it has some potentially serious side effects for pregnant or breast-feeding women as well as when used in conjunction with other drugs, such as AIDS remedies such as indinavir.

10. He stated that there was a cure for multiple sclerosis, which was caused by a "food additive" that gave the symptoms of MS.

I really have to quote Stephen Barrett, M.D. in regards to this claim:

"MS's extreme variability makes it a perfect disease for quacks. The only way to know whether a treatment is effective is to follow many patients for years to see whether those who receive the treatment do better than those who do not. Quacks don't bother with this kind of testing, however. They simply claim credit whenever anyone who consults them improves. And since the majority of attacks are followed by complete or partial recovery, persuasive quacks can acquire patients who swear by whatever they recommend.[8]

Listed by Quackwatch as a "cure" to avoid when treating MS is "coral calcium." Interestingly enough, it just happens to be a product that Trudeau was fined $2 million by the FTC for making false and misleading claims about. Trudeau and his accomplice, Robert Barefoot, made an infomercial from the same ad agency as the Natural Cures book, only Trudeau played the part of reporter interviewing Barefoot. The interviewer for the Natural Cures show was Pat Matthews.

Kevin Trudeau is a fraud. A scam artist. A con man of the worst kind. He seeks to make money off of schemes that take advantage of those that are in need of true medical assistance and those that are hopeful that they'll be able to stay healthy. But if Kevin Trudeau truly believes the bunk and baloney he writes and says, then he is merely pathetic.

References:

1 Park, Robert (2000). Voodoo Science. Oxford University Press: Oxford. pp. 52-58.

2 FDA (2002) Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) Title 21, Section 201(g)(B)

3 Minocha, Anil (2001). How To Stop Heartburn: Simple Ways to Heal Heartburn and Acid Reflux. John Wiley & Sons: New York.

4 Fennerty MB, Sampliner RE.(1993) Gastroesophageal reflux disease. Hospital Medicine. 29(4):28-40.

5 Kaiser Family Foundation (2004). Trends and Indicators in the Changing Health Care Marketplace, 2004 Update, found at http://www.kff.org/insurance/7031/ti2004-1-21.cfm

6 Mirkin, Gabe (2003). Acid/Alkaline Theory of Disease Is Nonsense. Quackwatch.org. Found at: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRel ... oral2.html

7 Witte, Griff and Henderson, Nell (2004) U.S. Food Imports Increase, May Match Exports This Year. The Washington Post. Thursday, November 25, 2004; Page E01

8 Barrett, Stephen (2003). Be Wary of Multiple Sclerosis "Cures." Quackwatch.org. Found at: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRel ... cs/ms.html

[Gennady]

1) What kind of discussion you want to have about Homoeopathy? Commercials of any product distorts a reality regardless of the application. It is a nature of the advertisements. People sells "air".

2) How do you know that what they call Homoeopathy in reality is homoeopathy? Let say you give some one paint to draw a picture. This person will draw picture and will call it a masterpiece, even he is not a painter at all. You can compare it with the real masterpiece in museum and say the both are pictures. But value and effect on the viewers will be different.

Real homoeopathy is an Art not a technology. It is require MIND of the person making a solution. Without it it will be a factory process and obviously will not work.

[Tessa K]

Real homoeopathy is an Art not a technology.

Sadly, art doesn't cure people. Science does.

[cfeagans]

1) What kind of discussion you want to have about Homoeopathy? Commercials of any product distorts a reality regardless of the application. It is a nature of the advertisements. People sells "air".

This is true to an extent. However, I should think that an advert that is selling a laundry detergent that "out-performs the leading brand," can, at least, actually clean soiled clothing. There is some doubt as to whether any of Trudeau's claims can actually show any ability to treat illness or disease to even placebo expectations. But my criticisms of Trudeau are limited to only his "infomercial" and not the content of his book.

2) How do you know that what they call Homoeopathy in reality is homoeopathy?

I'll give you that. I'm making a fair bit of assumption. But what does one call a belief in "natural cures" that may or may not have any effect?

Real homoeopathy is an Art not a technology.

While art may be in the "eye of the beholder," I see little artistic value in diluting a poison to the point that it is insignificant even absent (see the earlier portion of my article).

It is require MIND of the person making a solution. Without it it will be a factory process and obviously will not work.

Why? What is significant about the mind of the individual that cannot be technically replicated in other processes? Moreover, what is it about the former process that allows it to "work?" The particles of the substance diluted are still non-existent after the dilution process.

[Tom Morris]

Real homoeopathy is an Art not a technology. It is require MIND of the person making a solution. Without it it will be a factory process and obviously will not work.

Factory process - will not work?

Cars are built in factories. Obviously they will not work. Presumably, then, all the cars that you see driving round that congested doughnut we call the M25 are all hand-built. Because, factory built cars obviously will not work, right?

The components that I bought and put together to make my computer were made in a factory, and my computer works just fine. In fact, without factory processes, the synthesis of computer microprocessors (the Pentiums and Athlons and PowerPC chips that handle all the data that goes through your computer and the servers on the Internet) would be impossible.

[Tom Morris]

Flipping channels on a Saturday morning, avoiding silly cartoons and infomercials in search of something interesting or informative, I came across an interview that I didn't initially identify as an infomercial. I quickly figured out it was a paid advertisement, but the format of the show was very much like that of Charlie Rose or a PBS talk show.

The topic, however, was the first clue: natural cures suppressed by the government and food and drug industries. The person being "interviewed" was Kevin Trudeau, the author of Natural Cures They Don't Want You To Know About.

As I listened, I was astounded at what Trudeau was saying. Not that I believed him, but that he had the audacity to make the claims he did. In the first 5 minutes of the show, Trudeau had said that there existed cures for cancer, attention deficit disorder (ADD), herpes, diabetes and acid reflux and that the Food and Drug Administration along with the food and drug industries are suppressing this information. Of course, he didn't list specific cures by name, instead citing the risk of doing so is to evoke the wrath of the government, namely the FTC and FDA. Apparently, Trudeau feels that the laws that prohibit making claims of "cures" without scientific evidence to support the claims and having the drug approved is part of the conspiracy of the government entities and industry controls to suppress homeopathy.

As Penn Jillette has said: "Watergate is the answer to all of this shit". Conspiracy theories? The US government had difficulty keeping a secret of the fact the former president got a blowjob from Monica Lewinsky. Surely, if there was an Illuminati controlling the US President, Lewinsky would have been quietly locked away, taken in for Communist-style mind control, executed ("J.F.K.-style") or whatever else the conspirators are up to.

The 'conspiracy of government entities and industry' are doing a downright poor job of suppressing homeopathy.

I saw a whole set of Trudeau's stuff advertised on the 'net. I thought looked mildly interesting. But infomercial advertising pushes it outside the realm of the credible.

• He stated that a recent study that concluded St. John's Wort to be ineffective was based on flawed methodology because each of the other drugs tested likewise resulted in being largely ineffective to treat depression.

Yes, but even if you've got a treatment which cures only a few percent above placebo, it's still more effective than placebo. The point isn't "Is it 100% effective?", it's "is it better than the current status quo?", and St. John's Wort isn't. Plus, other studies have shown that it interactions with other drugs is unpredictable and dangerous. Even if St. John's Wort equalled it's nearest 'conventional' brother in efficacy, if St. John's Wort has less predictable side effects, then we should favour the conventional medicine.

3. - 6. He stated that there are natural remedies that will cure: migraine headaches, arthritis, diabetes (I & II), and even cancer.

The only legitimate answer one can give this type of quackery is, "whatever." Trudeau is lying. Period. If he can demonstrate that these cures exist in rigorous, clinical tests, I'll print this essay and eat each page. If such cures existed, scientists and researchers would not sit on them. They would share them with the world. And, in answer to the argument that scientists are people and just as susceptible to greed and jealousy as the next man, I submit to you that if this is so, then the first one to write the paper and attach his or her name to the discovery will be immortalized and, perhaps, rich. The drug companies and the government could neither suppress the altruistic scientist nor the greedy one.

Exactly. If he does know about the existence of cures for arthritis and cancer, then why doesn't he tell the world. My late grandmother would have loved to have lived her last few years of life without the pain of arthritis, and not having to go in to hospital to have her colon cancer treated would have been cool too. Guess Kevin doesn't care about my grandmother. Hey, he doesn't have to, right? His book sales are probably more than caring for his family.

[Tessa K]

It is require MIND of the person making a solution. Without it it will be a factory process and obviously will not work.

So how does the mind work on things outside of it? The human mind is a notoriously variable thing. How could two different people produce the same 'medicine' with two different minds? What if one person was in a bad mood one day - would that affect the product?

What is the physical process by which the mind acts in this case?

Don't forget that factories are designed, built and operated by people with minds.

[Dappadee]

Water is still water.

[faithlessgod]

2) How do you know that what they call Homoeopathy in reality is homoeopathy? Let say you give some one paint to draw a picture. This person will draw picture and will call it a masterpiece, even he is not a painter at all. You can compare it with the real masterpiece in museum and say the both are pictures. But value and effect on the viewers will be different.

Real homoeopathy is an Art not a technology. It is require MIND of the person making a solution. Without it it will be a factory process and obviously will not work.

If you are insinuating that homeopathy is an art and should therefore be evaluated as an art based on subjective preference, how does this cure people?

Granted that, as you say, homepathy is an art, so therefore some homeopaths are better than others as there is a limitation to what can be taught (not everyone can paint a masterpiece) and that it requires a "MIND" (I presume you mean the active participation of a master homeopath to effect a cure) does not "obviously" ensure it "will work" either.

Since this can still all be tested - using homeopath approved homepaths providing custom treatments for individual patients, within an independantly repeated randomised double-blind control study approach. The null hypothesis would be that there is no difference between the controls given substitute inert cures and the targets given the real hompath cures. As far as I know this has not been done and the burden of proof is homepaths to do this. Until then and with all the other possible sources of error that homepaths are not trained to detect and eliminate but instead actually encourage, together with the scientific implausibility given human physiology and chemistry, I provisionally conclude, as should anyone who has the capacity for critical reason, that it does not work.

[Tom Morris]

If you are insinuating that homeopathy is an art and should therefore be evaluated as an art based on subjective preference, how does this cure people?

If homeopathy is an art, then compared with the Picasso I saw over in the Stedelijk in Amsterdam and the Sunflowers hanging up in the National, it sucks.

[faithlessgod]

Thats becuase it is a very diluted art, so much so that there is no art left to appreciate. :D

[Tom Morris]

Perhaps you could take a tiny little fragment of paint, mix it down to 35C, then drink it. It'll turn you in to an artist. Or perhaps sit and play Beethoven at the water, dilute that, and you've got a potent substance to turn yourself in to a musician. Technologist? Leave a vial of water in a computer for a week or so, then dilute.

Anyone can do this invention thing. But for it to be a proper invention, it's got to actually work. The difference between art and science is that art doesn't claim to be able to cure diseases (even though some art and music can make you feel a hell of a lot better).

[mikeh]

It seems to me that we should really be discussing this as a question of
ideology. Over the years,I have come to realise the futility of arguing about homeopathy in particular,or alternative medicine in general in
scientific terms. The "true believers" have already adopted what they will
happily refer to as a "science free" world view,so that the rules of scientific
observation and experiment,double blind trials and so on simply represent
a world that they have already rejected.
What we are really confronting is that bane of late 20th (and sadly,early
21st) century life, Relativism,the insistence that there are multiple truths
or realities,all of them equally valid.
However,that should not stop us exposing the bogus claims of CAM practitioners at every opportunity,if only to stop the "worried well"* from wasting their money on small pots of coloured water and some genuinely
ill people from getting accurate diagnoses and effective treatment.

(* Daily Mail readers with more money than sense)

mikeh

[aab1]

I can tell you without a doubt that there are cures for cancer as well as many other diseases which drug companies would like us beleive are "incurable". I know this firstly because it happened to me, and people I know. The cures for cancer make perfect sense when you know what they are, why we get cancer and how they work.

I'd recommend you read about health on http://www.newstarget.com they accept no advertising for any product and have the absolute truth on health, and they are allowed to tell you the cures for cancer under free speech since they do not sell any product.

I'd highly recommend the DVD "Prescription For Disaster", it is very good and shows medical doctor after medical doctor backing up the same things Kevin says.

Please don't just assume what he's saying isn't true, because it is, I and people I know lived this, so I know it is true, unlike you who are assuming it's false. I don't mean to sound mean, it's just important people realize that there are cures for diseases that are being hidden and called quakery, by the way, someone said Stephen Barret from Quackwatch was a "real" doctor, he is anything but. He was a psychologist and had 8 patients in his entire career, he has also been sued endlessly for falsely calling legitimate alternative treatments and cures "quackery".

You need to understand the economical and political forces that cause this insane crime to have occured, the cancer industry is making billions or trillions from cancer, just think about what would happen to the world economically if the cures were released. Thousands of cancer clinics, cancer research centers, cancer charities, cancer drug companies would all be rendered useless overnight, that would be an enormous economical collapse and that's one of the main reasons the cures are being hidden and ridiculed and called quakery.

[aab1]

This video explains conventional "medecine" well:
http://www.mercola.com/townofallopath/t ... lopath.htm

And yes, I know mercola is listed as a quack on quackwatch, but so is every REAL doctor, that is those who don't use drugs and that actually cure diseases rather than treat the symptoms in order to make more profits. Conventional medecine is about making money, not helping the patient, that's exactly why they are purposefully only treating symptoms, that way the disease is prolonged and the maximum profit can be made, whereas naturopathic doctors can cure most diseases including cancer which much higher success rates than chemotherapy. I'm not saying doctors are purposefully doing this, it's just that that's what they've been thought was the best for the patient, when in fact it isn't, but it is much more profitable.

I realize this can be hard to beleive for certain people, but it's important to realize this is what's really happening. Please do some research into this, it will save your lives. Here are good information sources:
DVDs:
Prescription For Disaster
The Corporation
Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World

Books:
The complete encyclopedia of natural healing
Questionong Chemotherapy
The cancer cure that worked: 50 years of supression
Hard To Swallow: The Truth About Food Additives

Please do yourself and your friends and family a favor and read and look at these books and DVDs and read about the truth about health on http://www.newstarget.com I have no relation to any of these other than they have helped me significantly improve my health and I know people who have cured their "terminal" cancers using the methods recommended by many of these sources.