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Comment by chroem- | Hacker News Reader

This is a very dangerous way of thinking. I can think of at least five people in my social network who have died as a direct result of seeking naturopathic medicine for their serious illnesses instead of proper medical care. Please do not encourage more people to do this.

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There are conditions that are considered incurable by "proper" medicine (e.g. Alzheimer's disease) and discouraging people from looking elsewhere (e.g. http://www.aging-us.com/article/100690) in those cases is just as dangerous. People are capable of considering multiple options simultaneously, and should be encouraged to inform themselves about the available treatments. In cases when two medical theories are truly incompatible, give people the right to decide what gamble they want to take, and understand that, in both cases, outcomes are uncertain.

I can think of 250,000 people in the United States alone who died last year because they sought proper medical care but died because of medical mistakes and bad prescriptions. In addition there were those that were harmed, but not fatally (of whom I know several).

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/study_su...

That's a very misleading statistic, many of these people might have lived with the best possible care but would have still died without treatment. Heathy people rarely seek major surgery for example.

I think both examples need to provide a denominator.

I did not say naturopathic medicine. What I said was, things that were "scientifically" dismissed are rventuallt redemed. Acupuncture comes to mind. As do other approaches that help strengthen the gut. Etc.

That said, how many people have died, suffered or lived otherwise uncured from the tunnel vision of traditional medicine? I wish I had $20 for every time I heard "...the doctors aren't sure what it is..."

Your point is a good one. Let's just be fair to apply it evenly to all those who offer cures.

Oh! And let's not forget the "opioid crisis." Not only is that driven by the misunderstanding of pain, but the so called cure kills time and time again.

Let's be fair. Please.

A "more holistic approach" doesn't necessarily mean "naturopathic medicine" or not seeking proper medical care.

Exactly. Thank you.

Any particular naturopathic medicine in common?

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