Can Alternative Medicine Be Dangerous?

“There have some stories on the news recently about the so-called dangers of alternative medicine. In your opinion, should people really be worried about that? Can alternative medicine be dangerous?”

Well, I’m not all that worried about it. Thousands of people are killed every year in this country by mainstream medicine and perhaps millions more are injured by prescription mistakes, doctor errors and other medical blunders. But, yes, in my personal opinion, alternative medicine can be just as dangerous as conventional, techno-based medicine.

Part of the danger, in my opinion, comes from the therapies themselves and part of the danger comes from procedures being used or prescribed by untrained “doctors” whose only credentials came from a 6-week correspondence course.

Here are some real-life examples of people being injured by alternative medicine:

• In 2003 a young Colorado cancer patient named Sean Flanagan died after a self-described “holistic doctor” injected him with hydrogen peroxide.
• A number of people have died from a fairly popular form of colon “cleansing” known in naturopathic medicine as colonics or colonic irrigation. In one of the most high-profile cases, the Attorney General’s office in Texas filed suit against 6 different individuals and/or clinics following several reports of perforated bowels. One of these led to the death of a patient.
• In 2008 a college student died from multiple failure ultimately linked to a Chinese herbal remedy known as Jin Bu Huan. And, of course, we all remember the ephedra-induced heart attacks that eventually led to the FDA’s ban on the herb a years ago.

How common are events like this? Thankfully, deaths and serious injuries from alternative medical treatments are probably very rare and the numbers don’t even begin to approach the 100,000 Americans who die every year as a result of medical errors. But stories like underscore one very important fact—“natural” is not a guarantee of safety or quality.

So what about the argument that people who use alternative medicine are more likely to avoid or delay seeking mainstream medical care even when it’s the best choice? Personally, I think that’s a very weak argument. But you tell me. What do YOU think?

References:

Attorney General of Texas. (2003). Attorney General Abbott Sues ’ Colonic Hydrotherapy ’ Providers For Abuse Of Medical Devices; One Death Reported. Retrieved from www.oag.state.tx.us on March 16, 2009.

Obama, B. (2008). Affordable Health Care for All Americans. JAMA.