Death by Homeopathy?

Steven Novella who blogs on Neurologica recently wrote a post that presents the idea that those who practice homeopathy can be held accountable for the deaths of those that believe them and follow their instructions. The story he tells is of a woman who died of a very curable form of cancer when she followed her homeopath's advice and refused surgery and chemotherapy which would likely have been curative. I do not recall having personally dealt with anyone who practiced alternative medicine that suggested their patients totally reject their medical doctor's advice in favor of alternative medicine. I have worked with some who have suggested quite strongly that the medical "habit" of "cut, burn, and poison" will not work as well as their supposed superior methods. As an aside I find it interesting that herbalists fuss at pharmacologists for their "unnatural poisons" while the herbalist sells "natural" poisons that supposedly do the same thing. I suppose an herbalist would object to the cut and burn for cancer but should admit that they too poison. I personally have never seen a cancer patient with verified cancer diagnosis cured by alternative medicine. I have seen many cancer patients cured by conventional medicine while also taking alternative medicine.

The point of my post is to follow up from the perspective of someone who was an adherent to the false medicine type that killed the woman mentioned by Novella. I can see how one person whose career in alternative "medicine" I have followed quite closely would respond to the above story. He would state that he practices "complementary medicine" and is most successful when he can coordinate care with a medical professional. The bizarre logic of the statement aside this naturopath's practice is not necessarily in line with his statement. I recently received an e-mail from a family member who stated he was ending his cancer treatment on the advice of this particular practitioner. Here is how it works- the patient comes to his "alternative medical doctor" and the "doctor" assures the patient that he can do something in this case (the alternative medical doctor will always have something that he thinks might work). The patient, with a sigh of relief, asks the "doctor" if he needs to have his chemotherapy continued (or whatever else was advised), and the "doctor" suggests that he probably does not need it but he cannot say to stop it. The "doctor" stops just short of telling the patient to leave off his effective truly medical treatment and so can say with a clear conscience that he did not tell the patient to stop it, but remember that the "doctor" of naturopathy claims the same amount of knowledge as the oncologist, and the patient trusts the suggestions of the naturopath as much as the oncologist. It is not the same as getting a second opinion, but many patients who do not understand these things think that they got a good second opinion from a well-studied professional when they go to an alternative health advisor because they call themselves doctor.

The key here is that the "doctor" really believes that his methods actually work. It may be because his ideology gives him certainty, or because he just doesn't know any better and has fallen victim to confirmation bias. The naturopath I mentioned above believes that he is more knowledgeable than most medical doctors, and has sought a means by which he could legally call himself "doctor" without actually doing the work that PhD candidates or MDs have done to be called "doctor". This particular naturopath took some correspondence "coursework" from what is a known diploma mill, and then sat for an exam from some shady accreditation board that is not recognized by the department of education. The board then conferred on this man a doctorate which only cost him $400. The US state in which he practices does not regulate naturopaths and so he is free to practice as a doctor of naturopathy. He honestly feels that his recently acquired title will allow him the recognition that will allow him to accomplish the things he feels he can do better than most medical doctors.

This brings me to my new blog title. my friend very sincerely believes that he knows a great deal, but that doesn't make it true. A recent visit to my friend's office showed me just how wrong he is. My friend has a palm reader that connects to his computer to scan a person's health condition from their hand and input it into a computer program. He also does live blood cell analysis, and uses several other dubious methods to diagnose health problems. In addition to all this he sends his patients away with herbs and other potentially dangerous "natural" medications.

It is true that a medical degree does not make a genius, and I must admit that my friend the naturopath does very well with his limited education. The problem is that a genius can only work with the tools he has acquired. A dunce can muddle through medical school training and work as an inferior doctor, but a genius only has potential until he has training. Many critiques of alternative medicine dismiss the alternative "doctor" as a money-grubbing quack who is knowingly endangering their patients, but there are a majority that truly believe that their limited knowledge is enough to truly help people. Many don't really even know how to critique their own mistakes, and are easily led astray by shady dealers who sell them crazy things like palm readers and degrees that won't ever be accepted by the board of education. Sadly these advisors will be responsible for leading many to their deaths even if unintentionally.

"Sunday's Coming" Trailer

I think this is an interesting view of Sunday Morning in certain Churches

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

National Day of Prayer

Just in case you missed it, the National Day of Prayer occurred today as proclaimed by our president (presidential proclamation - national day of prayer). A judge correctly noted that the National Day of Prayer did not fit the ideals of separation of Church and State envisioned by many of our founding fathers, but she did not suggest that it should be cancelled this year though many people have reported that it was cancelled. Meetings were held around the country to observe the National Day of Prayer. It bothers me that people are making a big deal about how it was "cancelled" when it turns out to be a falsehood. I am reminded of a conversation I had with my daughter last weekend about the fact that anger is not wrong unless it keeps us from being in control of ourselves. Many politicians have learned how to use public anger to gain support, and I am seeing certain politicians using public anger on issues such as the allegedly cancelled National Day of Prayer to gain support for their campaigns. I told Middlesweet to remember that anger should not guide us, but motivate us to act. Let us remember to check the facts and follow the truth rather following our guts as unthinking angry Americans.

Photos!

See our recent update on the snow in Birmingham, Mercedes marathon, kids run, and Sarah & Abby's funny smile after dental work numbed their cheeks. All this on flickr!

Some links and a great virus lesson

As you may be aware I read a bunch on different issues in theology, philosophy, and healthcare. In the last week I have come across a few gems that I wanted to keep and I though you might like them as well. The first is a post on a new method to medically fight viruses in Effect Measure. Some parts of the article are a little heavy on biology, but he starts by explaining how a virus hijacks the cells of the host (read "you"- your the host when the virus makes you sick) with an analogy to the inner functions of an office. It is a great analogy.

Another post that I wanted to save is on raising children to be more able to maintain a moral compass. I warn you that this was bent to support the argument that children raised by atheists are better than those raised by the religious (Raising Children Without God), but the point is still good. Many parents don't take the time to explain themselves to their children because it is more difficult and consumes time, but I (even though I am not an atheist) feel as if I explain myself to my children they are more likely to adapt our moral rules to other situations and not take some authority's word as equal to God's because he/she said so. Think of it as cult-proofing your child, or teaching them to be Bereans. We will leave the argument over whether God's rules are truly arbitrary for another time.

One more gem I was sent by Wonderful is a little more rough cut, but just delightful so I had to share it. It is certainly not original to me.

The Ten Commandments

Some people have trouble with all those 'shall's' and 'shall not's' in the Ten
commandments.

Folks just aren't used to talking in those terms. So, in middle Tennessee
they translated the 'King James' into ' Jackson County ' language....
no joke, (posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Gainesboro , TN )

(1) Just one God
(2) Put nothin' afore God
(3) Watch yer mouth
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
(5) Honor yer Ma & Pa
(6) No killin'
(7) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal
(8) Don't take what ain't yers
(9) No tellin' tales or gossipin'
(10) Don't be ahankerin' for yer buddy's stuff


Now that's plain an' simple. Y'all have a nice day.

How to read it

When I was a boy I remember a preacher quoting a verse in the New Testament (Ephesians 4:28) that instructs those who have stolen to cease from their thieving ways and find gainful employment. He quoted it like this - "Let him that stole steal no more; let him labor" and then played with the punctuation to get "Let him who stole steal, no more let him labor." The pastor's point was that the meaning of the passage can be changed by punctuation. Thankfully the Greek is not so difficult to decipher. The passage would have to be twisted purposefully to be misunderstood, but we do tend to make mistakes in how we read other parts of God's revelation. This is why context is so important to help us catch mistakes in reading.

The King James version of Ephesians 4:28 reads- "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." Even if the punctuation was messed up and a few words left out to confuse for a moment the rest of the verse would cause one to consider other meanings that are probable for the verse. The same is true for the rest of God's revelations- when taken together they explain the message. This is why I cannot discredit something a scientist tells me simply because it disagrees with how I read the Bible. It is possible that I misread Scripture because of a bias and missed the point. Here is a great video to further illustrate how re-reading something can bring out other meanings- http://www.wimp.com/freakymessage/

Evil problems

In light of the recent earthquake I was reminded of the "problem of evil". God, as CS Lewis wrote, is not a tame lion who cannot be pegged into any certain category. It would be dishonest to say that accepting God makes it easy to accept the hard things that happen at His hand. I am reposting something I wrote a few months ago on another blog-

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Horror

The dream seemed to be as vivid as if I truly had been there, and the feelings of helpless horror were incredibly memorable. This dream was a continuation of a series of dreams that I have had since I first began reading as a preteen about the Nazi roundups and mass murders in the second World War. In this case I was a member of a group of Jews targeted for elimination and I stood helpless waiting my turn as I watched people ahead of me tormented in terrible ways before they were murdered. I awoke with a shudder and the question occurred to me "Why did I survive?" As my mind came back to full awareness I realized that my survival was as it always was in my dreams, but then I noted with revulsion that people are still torturing their fellow humans in such ways even today. While the dream was not real, it reflected in a small way events that happen all the time around the world where one group of people is powerful enough to treat others to such horrors as most Americans have no concept.

This is the problem I have with the form of Christianity that I practice in which I acknowledge the existence of a supreme creator deity that supersedes and controls every other member of reality. We call this deity The righteous, loving God and discuss Him as an all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful person who is perfectly good and just. With all this recognized why on earth (or any part of the universe for that matter) would this wonderful deity allow such things to occur as the horrors that people experience in the world today? This is my version of the problem of evil- If God is so good why does He let really bad things happen?

Some of the answers that come instantly to mind is that Satan causes evil or that God is doing a greater good by allowing suffering now. I instantly dismiss the claim that Satan is at fault for evil. Satan may be noted in the Bible as the actor that produces evil, but God limits and controls what evil Satan does. God, even if it is indirect, plans and controls the evil that happens. Think, for example, of the fateful conversation between God and Satan that is recorded in the book of Job where God gives incremental allowances for the level of suffering which Satan is to subject Job just to prove that God is right about Job's righteousness.

If God is truly good and just why does He allow evil when He can control it? Some of the arguments I have heard or thought of to explain this are the ideas that God wants us to have the option to choose Him so He allows the option to choose evil, that God allows us to see such horrors to contrast His goodness or to give hope of a better future in Heaven, and that God has a better view of what is going on and what is evil in our view is good in the bigger picture which He can only see. I have to admit that I am still unsure that any of these work. Is it possible that the common American Christian view of God as a sweet, wonderful, good God is mistaken? Maybe He is a mean, vindictive, petty God who picks and chooses evil events for His own twisted pleasure? What evidence in there in Scripture that God is good?

Belief, sincerity, and truth

"Belief and sincerity do not define truth; it exists despite belief and sincerity." I wrote this about ten years ago on a newsgroup discussion in which I was discussing with some members about how accurate some alternative health care practitioner's claims were. I don't remember the subject of the debate, but one of the members of the newsgroup picked up my comment and posted it to his page of favorite quotes. There- now I am famous in my own mind!

I still believe what I wrote a decade ago. I am now engaged in a bit of an e-mail debate with a close friend on how to interpret Genesis 1 and 2 and I am struck on how strongly his points are based on his instincts rather than facts. What amazes me (though it shouldn't) is the fact that so many people take very strong positions with equally strong belief and sincerity even though facts are lacking. Poor Wonderful acts as my barometer since she has little interest in philosophy, and so she is exposed to my unadulterated craziness to see how other people would see how my ideas would look. When she has that shocked look on her face I know to keep that idea to myself until it is better developed. What strongly disappoints me is that no one seems to be providing a similar service to Pat Robertson who is now exposing his poor understanding of history and theology- (thanks to nakedpastor for the cartoon)

The point is that just because it seems right to you (or me) doesn't mean that it is right. Truth is often found when we allow ourselves the discomfort of going against our gut feeling and examine the facts.

Pat Robertson obviously sincerely believes that God always makes natural disasters (such as the earthquake in Haiti) to punish people. The fact is that the Bible does not present this as a rule. What was God's punishment to Egypt to allow them a famine of seven years during Joseph's time? Looking at the way God tells the story it was not a punishment, but part of His plan. When I veiw these events I am reminded of the observation in Matthew 5:45 that God causes it to rain on both the just and the unjust. The rain may or may not be a good thing, but Jesus seems to have been saying that natural events may not have any more meaning than being part of God's plan (a point which is borne out in other areas of Scripture). The country of Haiti may not be under punishment of God, and there is no way to see for sure what His purpose is since the Bible doesn't address this particular earthquake. God may use this natural disaster as a punishment for some in Haiti and as a conduit of good for others. Pat Robertson does not speak for God, and I hope he figures out that no matter how strongly he feels his belief and sincerity does not define truth.

Another cause for concern

Ron Hamilton (Patch the Pirate) and his wife are awaiting word on what has happened to his father-in-law Dr. Frank Garlock who was in Haiti with his wife for ministry when the earthquake hit this week. Dr. Garlock spoke to his daughter just a little while before the quake hit and the family has not received any more contacts from either Dr. Garlock or his wife since the quake. Keep this inspirational man and his family in your prayers as they deal with this situation. Majesty Music has a page dedicated to the situation- http://www.majestymusic.com/t-drgarlockupdate.aspx

Misterious Islands

The Mysterious Islands

Starring: Doug Phillips, Joshua Phillips Director: John Erwin

This is a film that is strong in young earth creation (YEC) philosophy. To summarize- YEC ideas are "pre-suppositional" which states that in order to properly understand anything in the world of science and history one must first accept that the Bible is literally true from Genesis to Revelation with a few obvious exceptions (Song of Solomon being one good example). This means that every finding in geology, astronomy, biology, and any other science must first be explained as having occurred in the last 6,000 years having been a part of the plan of the personal God described by conservative evangelical Christians. In fulfilling the above requirements Doug Phillips finds an incredible team consisting of photographer and videographers to document a trip to the Galapagos islands with his son and Dr. Morris- a teacher respected in YEC circles.

The images are absolutely stunning and well-framed. This team really serves up a delightful visual feast from a beautiful place and interesting animals.

Doug Phillips has historically maintained the YEC line that erroneously points to Darwin's ideas as being the philosophic basis of the horrific atrocities committed by Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot. He follows this line in the the film and also maintains the mistaken view that the best description of Darwin's ideas is "survival of the fittest". Phillips successfully argues against the mistakes of the dead Darwin with recent discoveries, but struggles in explaining how modern discoveries are able to support YEC ideas.

This film presents a summary of "mediated design", the YEC explanation of how evolution is real without seeming to agree with the philosophy that seems to be behind Darwinist evolution. Phillips and Morris haltingly argue genetic evolution is actually theistic evolution, but rename theistic evolution "mediated design" and limit their view of theistic evolution to evolution "within kinds".

Sadly Phillips and Morris fail to adequately describe what defines a "kind" and resort to using vague concepts of species typing. Another major disappointment is that they totally gloss over any genetic evidence for YEC ideas, and expose their gross misunderstanding of what consists of genetic information by stating that genetic mutations only result in "lost information" in a bow to the debunked entropy argument against Darwinist evolution.

If the reader wants a good summary of YEC ideas with awesome images I highly recommend this film, but if the reader wants to see good science and find evidence that will stand strong against modern evolutionary science and philosophy this film will disappoint.

Special stuff

Thanks to Wonderful's sisterI was able to buy this cool camera at a decent price as an entry level "DSLR". At any rate, I am taking way too many pictures and getting up close and personal with family members and pets. This Saturday I will be taking Brain to the USS Alabama and I plan on taking my now "beater" kodak and Canon EOS with me for lots of awesome picture goodness. Consider me totally psyched man.

"influenza recap"

Another great blog post- http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=3029 on H1N1.

Infant Feeding Surprise

One of my favorite blogs follows new developments in pediatric medicine pretty closely. I cannot recommend her too highly. At any rate she is reporting on a new study that goes against a bunch of the stuff we thought about food allergy development in young children. You can read her post at http://www.kidsdr.com/daily-dose/changes-are-coming-in-infant-feeding-recommendations. One study does not a law make, but the results if verified in other research will change practices a bit. Just thought someone would like to know.

Get-Mas

The so called "war on Christmas" drives me crazy. The e-mails are going around again whining about various organizations wishing "happy holidays" instead of the traditional "Merry Christmas." I see Christians sneer at those who say ''happy holidays" and I hear the snide response "I celebrate Christmas!" and cringe. Even those Christians who sweetly and gently respond make me cringe because they are exposing a poor understanding of history and theology. A catchy and meaningless cry of those who want to "defend" Christmas is "Jesus is the reason for the season." This strange statement assumes that Christmas was invented by or for Jesus. Another meaningless catchphrase is "keep Christ in Christmas" as if Christ was at the origin of Christmas.

Theologically this whole "war on Christmas" is a puzzle. If Christmas is a Christian holy day why do we even allow outsiders to participate much less force them to celebrate our way? Each God-ordained holiday in Scripture required cleansing form the heart out for even outsiders. On top of this, no celebration of Christ's birth is recommended in the Scripture or even referenced as practiced by the early believers, unlike the long-time celebration of Christ's resurrection. More interestingly birth dates have little importance in Scripture as commemoration times. Few people are celebrated for their births as compared to the those who were celebrated for what they did. To declare the common "Jesus is the reason for the season" is also a theological mistake because Jesus is not the reason for this season any more than Shakespeare is the reason for midsummer. Scripture identifies Jesus as one with God the Creator and as such He is not only the Creator of all seasons beyond Christmas, but He is the focus of all seasons. More on this in a moment

Historically Christmas as an important ancient Christian holy day is a legend. "Keep Christ in Christmas" is slightly more silly than insisting on "keep the Easter Bunny in Easter!" While the events of Christ's death and resurrection do somewhat coincide with pagan spring celebrations, it is almost certain that the events of Christ's birth almost certainly did not coincide with pagan winter celebrations. While we can place Christ's resurrection pretty accurately we question the time of Christ's birth, and so we must wonder why December 25th was chosen.

And [De Origine Festorum Christ.] Hospinian speaketh judiciously, when he
saith, that he doth not believe that they who first of all observed the Feast of
Christ’s Nativity in the latter end of December, did it as thinking that Christ
was born in that Month, but because the Heathens Saturnalia was at that time
kept in Rome, and they were willing to have those Pagan Holidays metamorphosed into Christian. Hence December was called Mensis Genialis, the Voluptuous Month.
Whilst the Saturnalian Days lasted, the observers of them were wont to send
Gifts one to another, which therefore Tertullian calls Saturnalitia, and Jerom
giveth them the Name of Saturnalium Sportulae. The like is done by many in
Christmas time. ~"A TESTIMONY Against several Prophane and Superstitious
CUSTOMS, Now Practised by some in New-England, The Evil whereof is evinced from the Holy Scriptures, and from the Writings both of Ancient and Modern Divines."
By Increase Mather, 1687

Rather than keeping Christ in Christmas it seems that Christians have been forever trying to put Christ into some sort of pagan winter celebration. He doesn't exactly fit. I have recently observed that Americans spend more time thinking about the gifts and celebrations that occur using Christ's name than in actually reflecting on the Savior- an indictment on myself and many others with whom I share genes and fellowship. My Wonderful countered that her Aunt Jane certainly did not fit that description, and she is correct, but Wonderful's Aunt Jane also represents the mindset I would want to embody- "Jesus is my reason to live every season."

So, am I going to attempt to outlaw in my home the giving of gifts and decorations that we enjoy this time of year? No. What I want to do is celebrate like my friends in Russia did on their quiet Christmas celebration January 7, 1996. I want to have a special day just for Christ where there is no Santa or reindeer or gifts to distract. I want to have a time for quiet reflection much like we have on Sunday's in our home or Veteran's Day in the US. I want to eventually move the gift-giving to New-Year's day where we can welcome the new year and celebrate the evidences of what God gave us in the old year. I don't know if this all will happen in our home, but this is my wish. Oh, and don't mention the war on Christmas to me. I don't hear "Christmas" anymore but it sounds like "Get-mas" in my ears.

Cancer Prevention

I have fought a constant battle with weight since I turned 21 because I feel that I am at high risk for lots of nasty things like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Research in the recent past has led me to believe that being overweight is associated with increased risk of those things I mentioned above. One thing to think about is that just because two things happen together don't mean one caused the other. My favorite example of this is pickle toxicity- just about every American who died in a car crash last year ate at least one pickle in the prior 12 months. The pickle obviously had nothing to do with the risk of death but the above statement is still true. The pickle example illustrates the fact that just because two things happen together should not lead one to believe that they are related. A number of theories exist as to why obesity is associated with other problems, but given the complexities of the situation it is difficult to establish direct cause and effect. "Fat" people may be found to engage in other risky behaviors that have nothing to do with their weight. In fact some studies have suggested that if someone with excess body fat is otherwise in good physical shape their risk for other problems is lower than sedentary "normal" weight individuals.
In her series of New York Times articles on the battle against cancer http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/health/research/13prevent.html?_r=1 Gina Kolata details how this difficulty in defining causation adds to the confusion over how to prevent cancer. One major problem for those trying to find answers isthe vast amount of information out there. For every study that seems to point to a cause another seems to contradict it. Gina does a fine job of considering all the info and distilling it. Some of the advice that is now in question about behaviors that are thought to reduce cancer risk such as high fiber and low fat diets are still good ideas. All Americans would benefit from eating more vegetables and less junk food for reasons that have little to do with cancer. Interestingly the evidence seems to point to the fact that most of the dietary and lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of many cancers are actually effective when implemented during young childhood. This could mean that the die is cast after puberty or that the benefits are cumulative over a lifetime. In practice the result is the same- good diet and exercise need to be modeled by parents and taught to children as early as possible. I tend to think we have time to get my three kids online with healthy choices but the truth is we should have been more strict long ago. It is time for more low-fat cow's milk, less candy, less soda, more family walks, and better stress management for my wife and I to share wth our kids. This also means I that we need to consider what supplements and flllers are added to our processed foods. Just as adults need to limit their soy consumption we need to watch how much soy is used in the food our kids eat and drink. It's time to go- there are some labels I need to read and new trails to run!

The Joy of the Lord

I use videos I glean off Youtube for Wednesday nights with the kids at Church. While searching for a version of "The Joy of the Lord" I came across this video. I think you will find it touching.

A Nasty Preventative Option For Fighting Flu

Effect Measure is a blog I follow on health care issues. Today they posted excerpts from a report on how the common cold virus (rhinovirus) infection may prevent the development of influenza infection simply because there aren't cells available to infect. A few months ago I noted how crazy it is that some people were considering "swine flu parties" now I wonder how many parents are going to plan "rhinovirus parties". Just a thought.

PSA That Makes one think

I am often fascinated at how easily we are able to miss what is going on right in front of our eyes.

Thanks to http://unreasonablefaith.com/

Halloween

Since both Christmas and All Saints Day are originally pagan holidays that Christianity is still trying to influence I think there is a place in both Christmas and Halloween for Christians to add to the potential cultural shifts. I have memories from youth about the fear that was created around this time because many of my Church influences focused on how Satan was honored in Halloween. While this may be the case in limited situations, the holiday is generally benign in our culture. For this reason I and my wife have allowed limited involvement in trick-or-treating (in fun and not scary costume), and carving of pumpkins. Our goal is to avoid the fear that even those in God's house feel during this time, and also to add to the cultural shift to fun at Halloween and not pagan mischief. As my children develop a higher awareness of their history I want to take full advantage of the history that the Christian Church has remembered on the sunset of the 31st of October and continue to teach it to our children. We don't spend enough time telling the stories of Corrie ten Boom, Martin Luther, and Eric Liddell in between stories of Moses, Noah, and Paul. Instead of hiding from Halloween, let's use it for the purpose our Church fathers and mothers intended.

Who I Really Am

On my facebook account I recently engaged in a conversation with an old friend who knew me as a teenager and young adult. She wasn't aware that I had left my family business nine years ago and that I had changed my stance on healthcare. My friend was apparently quite surprised when I took up for a modality that was quite opposite my former practice. I have also been directly and indirectly accused of taking up only for conventional medicine while summarily rejecting anything that smacks of alternative or complementary "medicine". In an effort to show that I am a bit more complex than this let me tell a little about how "Josh Mather, Nurse" came to be.

The most important people in this story are my parents. When I was very young they generally followed the pediatrician's advice, even taking us to the clinic with cartoons on the wall for the horror of childhood vaccines. My parents were strict in the sense that they made rules and expected us to follow them, but our home was a very loving home where both parents passionately loved each other and their children. This is important because some have suggested that I left my father's Naturopathic practice in a reaction to how strictly he raised us. My parents could certainly have done some things better, but I honestly felt that I was loved and even sometimes suspected that I was loved more than my three siblings. To this day I feel lucky to have parents that love each other and their children without condition or reserve.

I was about six years old when the doctors told my parents that Mom was not going to see us open our Christmas gifts even with aggressive treatment with chemotherapy. The new protocols for treating Hodgkin's disease hadn't been adequately used to develop an accurate prediction for its effectiveness in the early 1980s when Mom found she was covered by cancer. When the medical system seemed a failure my parents turned alternative "medicine" for hope. Mom eventually did receive chemotherapy that turned out to be effective even for her advanced form of the disease, but by the time conventional medicine came to the rescue my parents had convinced themselves that conventional medicine may provide temporary help, but no matter what appeared to occur alternative "medicine" would provide the permanent success.

I was six when everything fell apart but I was about ten when Mom finally came back to being an active part of my life. In the intervening years I saw Mom reduced to sitting in a recliner weakly kissing us goodbye as we went to school in the morning and often being in a hospital unexpectedly when we came home to be met at the door by a neighbor who fed us supper at her house. The anemic insurance we had would not pay for Mom's treatments so my siblings and I wore hand-me-downs left on our porch in garbage bags while money for clothes was spent on herbs and medical bills. We all sacrificed to see that Mom survived, and after she finally recovered from her chemotherapy Mom started to slowly have more good days than bad until she made her first family meal since she was sick. I remember our joy at having her in our pew at church, and no one could keep tears at bay when Mom's beautiful voice filled the church singing and weeping through "I thank you Lord" in her first vocal solo since becoming bedridden.

I know the story so far seems to be a sob story, but for a bulk of my childhood every member of the family was somehow engaged in Mom's fight for survival. We all bought into the plan of alternative "medicine" with a little conventional medicine. We all dealt in some degree with the disapproval from conventional medicine for how my parents chose to treat Mom's case. One doctor even went so far as to accuse my father of trying kill my mother by brainwashing her. My family used the emotions of the controversy to rally around my parents' choice of alternative, and our closeness as a family was partly built on our common bond in the midst of controversy. Our choices as individuals in healthcare have been partly guided by this strong emotion still evoked when discussing these things. This is why my initial choice to practice naturopathic "medicine" makes sense. It was more than family background, it was emotional identification with "the cause" that made it an easy choice to follow my father's footsteps into alternative "medicine" which I did without reserve.

Rather than simply following the typical apprenticeship model of learning that my father did in developing his alternative "medicine" practice after Mom's recovery I was encouraged to take a more formal education and take some advanced science classes taught from the conventional medicine view. Dad hoped that I would develop a well-rounded view of healthcare and be able to approach our joint practice from a fresh perspective to bring further advancement to alternative "medicine". The approach worked, and for more than a year we worked as an effective team. We envisioned me as the primary caregiver in the office while Dad transitioned into a more educational role teaching classes and writing books. Near the end of this year together problems developed as my intellectual involvement overtook my emotional involvement. The following link details how some aspects of this change developed. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/confessions.html

More to come.