Voodoo in Western Medicine

by Patrick Quanten MD

We pride ourselves of living in a scientific society. We want to know everything there is to know about everything, and we are particularly keen on understanding what is making us ill and consequently what we need to do to avoid it or to rectify it. This process is based on strictly regulated science. We seek proof, and nothing but proof.

Equally we demand that the people whom we trust with our health and the science that underpins it are of the highest quality, both in their endeavour and their truthfulness. These people will do whatever it takes, consider whatever option is available, gather all information, develop their knowledge and skills for our benefit only, and at all times will keep us abreast of the developments. These same people, we would like to believe, have no interest in financial gain, personal status and fame, personal power, and career prospects. These people, we would like to believe, are almost godlike, working day and night for nothing more than the satisfaction of making us well.

And then we get disappointed. Scandal after scandal emerges. It seems as if nothing is the way we would have liked it, and the way we were told it was going to be. Luckily, the authorities, whom we have charged with the organisation and control of our health and its services, are able to convince us that each scandal has been an unfortunate set of circumstances. They are sorry; they have investigated; they have learned lessons; it can never happen again. And that pleases us tremendously. We are so lucky to have these godlike people looking after themselves - and us. What would we do without them?

They are so trustworthy. Think only about all the potentially dangerous drugs they have to reside over; ponder over which ones to use. And then there are all these other people who keep putting obstacles in front of them, diverting much needed attention elsewhere. How horrible it must be to have to work in an environment where pretend know-alls stick in their oars at all time. Life is difficult enough in this unselfish, devoted to service, medical world, without the persistent attacks from ignorami who can't even perform the simplest of research tests properly. Trying to show them how things are done properly must seem like talking to a brick wall. Keen as they are to get a piece of the action, they do not seem to have the same persistence towards proving the worth of their ways and words.

Double blind studies are an essential tool in our scientific box of tricks. Without large number research studies that prove beyond any reasonable doubt that a form of treatment is more effective than a placebo one can not, and must not be allowed to use the treatment. Outlawing so-called-therapists and therapies which can not be shown to be effective this way is essential in order to keep the treatment-manual clean and pure. Claims that certain treatments don't lend themselves to double blind studies, that no funding can be found for large scale double blind studies which do not result in a marketable product at the end, that results of double blind studies are falsified by the fact that people have to volunteer to enter the study, are really far fetched and pathetic attempts to undermine the authority of our scientific community. If you want to be part of this great group of educated people you will need to pass the entry exam; you will need to show that you can do things our way.

You must abide by the axioms accepted by this community.
- There is no link between different diseases within one individual.
- Every disease must have one, and only one, cause.
- A disease can only be eliminated by destroying its cause.
- The weapon of destruction must be isolated, purified and target specific.
- The best weapon we have is the best tactic available; there can be nothing else.

What we know is all there is to know about health and health care. Indeed, we change advice given, treatment techniques and drug medication all the time, but do not make the mistake to view this as inadequacy. Quite the opposite; it is because we stay so alert, on top of new developments and research results, that we are able to better what we have available and what we know. The rhetoric does not change; in so far that a now discarded treatment which was once hailed as the "miracle cure", has just seen a change in product but the words describing it having remained the same. The cures change, the rhetoric does not. Antibiotics cure all infections; analgesics cure all pains; surgery, radiation and chemotherapy cures all cancers; every ailment has it's own specific anti-drug. The products change as time passes, the claims do not. But as we are the only real scientific community, we are the only ones who, by law, are allowed to make such claims in spite of the fact that none of them are ever proven to be true.

Let's be honest: we ensure that every cure we use, goes through a rigorous programme of testing, retesting and controlled trials. No drug is released onto the market which has not undergone many years of very expensive testing. This safeguards the people from exposure to dangerous drugs or to inappropriate use of drugs. Unfortunate mishaps like Thalidomide where we forget to test it during pregnancy, basically because nobody is willing to enter a double blind study putting their unborn babies at risk, are real exceptions. We have overcome this problem by putting a warning on all drug leaflets to be cautious during pregnancy. You can't say we didn't warn you.

If we inform the public of fantastic early test results for a new product, we sometimes get so overwhelmed by the demand from the public that we have to fast-track the drug trials. This means that we are allowed to bring the drug on the market before all testing has been completed and safety has been established. This, you understand, is only done in the interest of the public as they do no longer want to be denied the new "wonder drug". As it turns out, in recent history almost all successful - I mean this in an economic sense - drugs have come into people's treatment domain via this route, as the normal advised route takes too long and is too costly. Provided we can persuade the sufferer that a new major advance is just around the corner, such as AZT for Aids, vaccination programmes for epidemics that haven't happened yet, beta-interferon for MS, ultrasonic scans for pregnancy, prozac for depression, viagra for impotence, and so on, public opinion and mass pressure will ensure that we will have to bow to public demand. In order to serve the people best we will then as the sole scientific curators of health and health care expose those people to these non-licensed drugs by quickly granting them a license. We are here to serve, you understand. Should time show us that these drugs are totally useless, or worse very dangerous, we can stand by the early reports which did show their effectiveness and safety, and by the fact that the problem was so enormous that we simply had to act. Oh, wasn't it better to do something than to do nothing! Ha yes, sorry about the nastiness we didn't foresee or tell you about, but don't forget that we made a lot of money which we are now investing into further research, all for your benefit and that of your children.

Wouldn't it be nice if drugs that were withdrawn from the market got the same media hype as their launch did? We would all then know what the real problems are. However, until then you will just have to trust me with your health and your life, because I am a doctor.

And when I say something to you, when I "inform" you, you better take notice. Because I know all there is to know about you health and how to take care of it; you would be wise to shut up and listen to me.

When I say that there is nothing more that can be done, I do mean nothing, by no one. True, I do not know what anyone else may or may not be able to do, but that is irrelevant here, as I have the knowledge. I know what is good for you, and I know that giving you false hope may result in feelings of being let down, depression, and resentment. Therefore it is much better to have all those now and not to try anything else. Furthermore of course, if you were to find help elsewhere it would really reflect badly on me, as I know all there is to know about health care. So do me a favour and accept what I told you. If you don't, I wash my hands of you; you are out there on your own. Don't come back to me, who knows all there is to know about health care, expecting me to make it all alright.

The curse of the white coated witch.

When I tell you what you should be doing to reduce the risk of being struck down by nasty invisible creatures, you better believe it. If you don't, not only are you putting yourself at risk but more importantly, you are significantly increasing the risk for the rest of the population. If you become ill, it will not only be your own stupid fault, but it means that you will be spreading it all around you. You, insensitive, careless human being! In this free country a law should be passed to make it a criminal offence to infect an innocent fellow human being. Irresponsible behaviour like that should be punished by compulsory treatment and isolation in secure units to prevent contact. The safety and health of the community must prevail over and above the right of the individual. And I am the sole guardian of health and health care.

The curse of the white coated witch.

Refusing treatment is simply undermining my authority. And as there is no good reason for it, as I have always looked after you in the best possible way, the only way to treat someone who knows all there is to know about health and health care, is with a bit more respect. Respect is something I demand; I do not have to earn it, as I have suffered long enough through university and punishing junior doctor training's schemes. By now you should know I am worthy of your praise and respect, so don't give me a hard time! How can I make you better if you refuse treatment? And why would you want to go elsewhere as there is no one who knows more about health and health care than I do? It simply sends the wrong message to the community when you refuse treatment and remain well. There must be something wrong with you if you don't get ill.

The curse of the white coated witch.

Fear makes so many people ill. Fear of failure, fear of inadequacy, fear of illness. Fear is caused by not understanding, so information is vital to reduce fear and increase well-being. As I know everything there is to know about health and health care, I am the best placed to "inform" people about health issues. If we ensure that the information given out does not lead to silly questions like "what is disease?", or "why have I got this disease?", then we remain in full control. So, instead we focus the information on what we know and tell people what they need to be scared off.
"If your blood pressure is high or your cholesterol is up you have a good chance of having a heart attack or a stroke." That will cheer them up. Even if there is no scientific evidence to prove it, it will ensure scared people flooding in to see me.
"If you don't keep your hormone levels high you will have osteoporosis and break all kinds of bones." Should we tell them that HRT dramatically increases cancer figures? Well, it will take a long time before they realise and by that time you and I will have cleaned up and be out of here, so let's not bother them with statistics.
"If you don't have your flu vaccine you will get bronchitis and pneumonia this winter. At your age/ As a diabetic, that could kill you." Do they know that the flu vaccine does not contain the virus of the flu to come, simply because we don't have the identity of the next flu virus yet? Don't tell them that! Also, don't tell them that it is probably not a good idea to be injected by a combination of four old flu viruses for your body to fight off, just as the new one is supposed to be coming your way.
"If you don't stop smoking we won't give you your bypass operation." We don't really know why or how blood vessel clog up when people do eat rabbit-food, don't smoke or drink alcohol, but whilst we have these arguments to our disposal we might as well make the most of them. Clogging up of blood vessels does not seem to be solely related to smoking, drinking, and fatty foods, but what the heck.
"If you don't have this chemotherapy you will die within six months. This drug is powerful and specific; it will prolong your life by three to six months." Sure, nobody really knows when someone will die in advance, but as I am the authority on health and health care nobody is in a position to challenge my statement. Hey, I can say anything I like. If you do happen to die after six months and you did have the chemotherapy, I can happily say that without it you wouldn't have had even three months at the rate you deteriorated. So there!

The curse of the white coated witch.

People's fear is controlled by me, who knows everything there is to be known about health and health care. And that is right. I tell people to be afraid they might be destined for breast cancer, for diabetes, for arthritis, or whatever, and then we just have to wait for fear to do it's job and create the problem. This, of course, proves me complete right and empowers my status and next statement. The other great advantage of being right all the time in predicting people's disease fortunes is that I can now concentrate on prevention.

Prevention means nothing more than keep a watchful eye open until you can detect the disease. Having scans, check-up, blood tests, etc. - all impressive and way beyond anybody's understanding - will keep me busy for awhile and ensures loyalty to the cause. Which is: there is no one who knows more about health and health care than I do. By the first sign of trouble, we hit it hard. Any sign, whatever, can be interpreted as "trouble has started", and therefore vigorous treatment must be commenced as soon as possible. None of this finding the disease when it's too late to do anything about it! That does not make economic sense. No no, hit them early. If the disease then develops more quickly then expected one can reiterate how lucky you have been having it discovered so soon, otherwise it would really have been a disaster, wouldn't it.

The curse of the white coated witch.

If you want to be successful, you want to remain at the top, you want to be in charge, then you have to make sure everyone wants to listen to you. The best way of achieving this is by creating confusion, maintaining ignorance and spreading fear amongst your worshippers. You have to keep ideas and people that challenge your authority, ask awkward questions and endeavour to infiltrate your flock with unwanted and unhelpful information under tight control. This can be done most effectively by using the fear-weapon. Threaten people with withdrawal of all your services, especially effective after you have made sure they all rely on you. Make future predictions, the strength of which are based on your authority rather than on facts. Discredit people rather than facing issues and answering direct questions. Use your authority to push through any opposition; dismiss rank party poopers amidst high publicity, and award loyalty with more authority which then can be used again to strengthen your own cause.

Fear.

The curse of the white coated witch.

May 2002