We shouldn’t use labels like “Alternative” and “Conventional” Medicine

We shouldn’t use labels like “Alternative” and “Conventional” Medicine

What is alternative medicine? Does alternative medicine work? The University of Toronto recently stirred up a bit of controversy by uncritically offering a class on “Alternative Medicine.” When people looked at the coursework, which included many studies debunked by this channel, some people started to freak out. The issue highlights a much larger problem: No one is sure how best to teach that subject.

The dichotomy, however, between alternative and traditional medicine, or between Eastern and Western medicine, is a false one. We would be much better off if we could reframe the issue. That’s the topic of this week’s Healthcare Triage.

This episode was based on a post I wrote for the Upshot. Links to sources and more reading can be found there: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/upshot/labels-like-alternative-medicine-dont-matter-the-science-does.html

John Green — Executive Producer
Stan Muller — Director, Producer
Aaron Carroll — Writer
Mark Olsen — Graphics




And the housekeeping:

1) You can support Healthcare Triage on Patreon: http://vid.io/xqXr Every little bit helps make the show better!
2) Check out our Facebook page: http://goo.gl/LnOq5z
3) We still have merchandise available at http://www.hctmerch.com

48 Comments

  1. fcuking Sg Invain on June 16, 2021 at 12:32 am

    COZ ZERO SUM UP GAMES… WESTERN MEDICINE LOOKS LIKE HEAL THE SICK PART OF THE BODY BUT DESTROYS THE LARGER PARTS OF UR BODY WITHOUT U EVEN REALIZE IT.



  2. HealthWealth Green Barley Authorized Dealer on June 16, 2021 at 12:35 am

    Video testimony kung paano nakatulong sa KALUSUGAN ang HealthWealth Green BarleY, view my videos and PM this page to inquire fb.me/originalgreenbarleyph



  3. Tor Mor on June 16, 2021 at 12:36 am

    Homeopathic medicine has helped all my dog and I problem’s.



  4. Amber Stacey on June 16, 2021 at 12:36 am

    Wait which plant is good for hayfever? I wanna try



  5. Paranormal Encyclopedia on June 16, 2021 at 12:37 am

    Homeopathy is a proven treatment for at least one problem. If your wallet is feeling bloated and just too full homeopathy will help with that.



  6. Masterkey on June 16, 2021 at 12:37 am

    We should call it Medicine without side effects. Doctors are prescribing "healthy diet" but have no clue what that means, a Government promoting pyramid that get people sicker and sicker. Keto, plant-based and even paleo diet have reverted quite a lot of illnesses, the internet is overflowing with testimonials, the only one that doesn’t it is the one "all in moderation" diet prescribed by doctors. (How many hours a doctor study nutrition/biology/chemistry to understand this subject??- probably around 10 hours in their 6 years uni ) .
    Folic acid – synthetic. Why can you not offer folate – natural. Why don’t doctors tell that it is far more important to start taking folate before getting pregnant as it’s just a bit too late after conception.
    Don’t know anything about homeopathy but there is a thing called the placebo effect that if people believe something will help them, it actually does!! plenty of studies on placebo and nocebo (when a doctor discourages you for example, people die quicker and health worsens)
    Studies made on vitamins are made with synthetic vitamins and the results aren’t that great. What about getting them done with natural vitamins? They used incomplete Vitamin E(tocopherols only), also incomplete Vitamin C(ascorbic acid only). Complete different story when they are natural (ex. curcumin, quercetin, edta, nattokinase, etc – amazing studies)
    Medication is something the body doesn’t recognise – yep, it’s an E.T. ! – and it fights against it, thus all the side effects . It is necessary for a (VERY) short time/ term solution perhaps but as medication only treats the symptoms, shouldn’t we focus more on the cause of the problem (prevention included) not to need to take these E.Ts?
    Even aspirin can be replaced with pycogenol . Statins are still on the market and they have almost no benefit (some may help with cancer treatments) . Then you get the hundreds of studies done and only 4 or 5 are published because it matches a bit more with the sponsor (pharmaceutical Industry) – yep, they are a profit shares concern industry and the more customers, more profits, just so we have this in mind.
    They ridicule anyone that questions the big Corps. (not an antivaxxer) but shouldn’t we allow more studies to be published? not only the hand picked ones ?
    Doctors have been brained washed, not their fault, but it is our responsibility to improve ourselves. it is a lot of weird, irrelevant information out there but if we don’t do it for ourselves, who will? I would start with people that understand more about how our bodies work (biochemists, biohackers) and doctors that research. everyone is different and once you start looking into evidence (even though some are manipulated for their profit) more and more we learn. Most important is not to accept and have fixed ideas on what is right (many have been disproved – eggs and saturated fats for example) because most doctors don’t research and are not open to contradict their uni professors. Saying that, there are countries adapting to Integrative Medicine (better communication doctor/patient), Functional Medicine (less alopatic medicine, more natural alternative) and even Quantum Magnetic resonance diagnosis (sounds promising). In the UK it’s the opposite, less communication, healthcare is a shambles and people are sicker than ever but but but they have amazing access online for vitamins/minerals,etc (like the US) and we all have the internet (Google Scholar, Pubmed, etc)



  7. James Smith on June 16, 2021 at 12:39 am

    Anything from vitamin c, to vinegar, to baking soda, to herbal remedies, to homeopathy, to prayers, to essential oils, to Himalayan salt, to stanning Loona needs to be proven to cure the disease it claims to, or at the very least, do the healing it claims to.



  8. Andrew Lee on June 16, 2021 at 12:39 am

    As an add-on to your comment about Acupuncture, there has since been follow up studies showing sham acupuncture, while was "pretty good" in the short run, in a 6th month follow up, the statistical significance of real acupuncture was clear, real acupuncture had a much higher rate of pain relief over extended periods of time. Yet people pick and choose which studies they read, which add to the problem of moving more and more well proven modalities such as acupuncture into mainstream acceptance.



  9. Davis Michelle on June 16, 2021 at 12:40 am

    Powerful Herbal treatment is 100% guarantee from the king of natural herbs called Dr Ovie for HPV cure, the reason why most people are finding it difficult to cure HPV is because they believe on medical report, drugs and medical treatments which is not helpful to cure HPV and hasnít proved any sign of helping. Natural roots/herbs are the best remedy which can easily eradicate hpv forever. I never believed it until I was helped and cured of my 16 months HPV with natural herbal medicines from Dr Ovie. Where other medical prescribed drugs and treatments failed, Dr Ovie natural herbs helped saved me from HPV permanently and i am so grateful for this. You can also get help from this great and powerful African Herbalist Dr Ovie email him via ( ovie.miraclemedicine1@gmail.com) call or what’s App Dr on +2349056393169 he is the king of natural herbs and roots contact him for your miracle cure now.



  10. F F on June 16, 2021 at 12:40 am

    Herbal remedies have been studied yet most doctors dont seem to know anything about them or their use. Why is that?



  11. m e on June 16, 2021 at 12:42 am

    foe the most part, western medicine has no scientific basis. the proof of this is it’s typically failed outcomes.



  12. Gimmy Bolt on June 16, 2021 at 12:44 am

    I realized that reduced AP leads to ischemic stroke – infarction of the brain – by seeing it happen to my friend sister. Doctors saved her life, but she didn’t completely recover. When I first faсed GENITAL WARTS disease, I was already aware of a few tricks and I knew that I should seek vegetative, herbal remedies. My wife, a very wise woman, recommend DR DOHGO HERBAL product. I’m very grateful to her. It’s been 4 years and I’m not genital warts positive anymore. I’m a completely healthy person, who’s not afraid of STD nor any virus. Take care of your health!
    To order your product for any diseases, virus or infection contact (doctordohgo @ gmail .com)
    Call/WhatsApp +2347062142293

    GIMMY 48, Belgium



  13. coreycox2345 on June 16, 2021 at 12:45 am

    The proliferation of "alternative medicine" might be partially a result of the fact that few doctors do their own research, as was more common in the past. Also, in your opinion, are doctors influenced by the pharmaceutical industry? I have had general practitioners refuse to consider some methods that actually have been tested. I don’t disparage doctors in general, yet they are human. Some percentage of them must be lazy.



  14. Lotusrk123 on June 16, 2021 at 12:47 am

    Vitamin D-3 (not a vitamin at all, but considered by some a statin), is highly suspect as it causes bone loss leading to calcium shards floating in the bloodstream, artery damage, which then leads to hardened arteries and brain dysfunctions like Alzheimer’s and dementia; even kidney failure. D-3 = cholecalciferol, derived from sheep’s lanolin (remember Brylcream hair dressing?) a popular rat/mouse poison produced by Bell Labs. Doctors can’t agree on correct calcium levels in the bloodstream, so they choose to err on the high side accelerating the onset of the above mentioned, self inflicted diseases. In 2013 the amount of D-3 added to dairy was increased. Why? Because doctors are selfish and want to make more money with the growing population coming down with ailments (supposedly) caused by natural aging. Doctors will lie and tell you calcium shards are consumed by drinking homogenized milk. Truth: if you "drank" a shard of calcium, it could not get into your blood stream, it would stay in the bowels. More lies doctors will tell you involve consuming wood based food additives like cellulose used in breads, ice cream and some cheese products and soups; they say it passes through your body unchanged, just adding (unnatural) fiber. The truth is it ferments (yeast + sugar + water + time = fermentation = wood alcohol which is poisonous). Have a nagging cough you can’t get rid of? The wood alcohol alters your mucus, causes IBS, perforated bowel and probably more. Then we could venture into GMO crops like Roundup Corn by Monsanto that is killing the honey bee population (and you). You can thank the doctors on the FDA board and Bill Clinton who took a huge bribe to get GMO’s introduced to our food chain.



  15. Wick van Schalkwyk on June 16, 2021 at 12:49 am

    Yes, PEMF TTF has been known for almost 100 years with clinical studies and should be seen as a first option. Hundreds of clinical studies. See maxwellmagneticmeds.co.za



  16. MD E Mahmud on June 16, 2021 at 12:49 am

    Ten best natural healthy foods
    Ten best alternative medicine
    http://bestfoodinfo.blogspot.com/



  17. Ayesha Khan on June 16, 2021 at 12:51 am

    Health and fitness is the first priority of every person in the world. Use of Alternative and Conventional or Traditional use of medicine is on rising pace. Read article https://campuspress.yale.edu/tribune/alternative-drug-culture-continues-to-rise/ for more information.



  18. Andrew Lee on June 16, 2021 at 12:52 am

    I’ll also throw in the fact that studies now show that in a 5 year follow up between patients who get surgery for lower back pain, or knee pain, there is no statistical significance between those who had no treatment and those who had surgery. yet we still spend tens of thousands of dollars per treatment.

    it is exactly as you say it. we are simply used to accepting what we are used to.



  19. Greg Boyce on June 16, 2021 at 12:53 am

    I a reiki master teacher. The truth is you stuck on Newtonian medicine. Homeopathic people don’t understand. herbalism works aromapathy works. But education makes it safe. Drugs work on markers and drugs are working. I will not go to a medical doctor in Canada because of single-payer health care. Homopathic works on quantum reality and so does so many reiki herbs and holistic food.



  20. serseri herif on June 16, 2021 at 12:54 am

    Is there a ‘list’ somewhere of all the known plant-based drugs and their effects?



  21. m e on June 16, 2021 at 12:55 am

    mainstream medicine is mostly pseudoscientific quackery, proven by it’s failure to get sick well. if it worked, people wouldn’t seek alternatives.



  22. Saitaina Malfoy on June 16, 2021 at 12:57 am

    This makes no god damn sense. You MUST follow the evidence. If it is there, it is clearly true, if it isn’t, it is false. *sigh* There are days I hate the normal functioning human brain…and then I remember why mine isn’t and just wonder what shades of grey feel like.



  23. Kathy Fausett on June 16, 2021 at 12:57 am

    Considering the fact that "conventional" medicine is the third leading cause of death in this country, I think making the distinction between conventional and alternative is most useful.  People intuitively understand that alternative practitioners aren’t likely to kill them.



  24. george duncan on June 16, 2021 at 12:59 am

    Right!! some have become convinced allopathy is primary
    by Bullying and Suggestion Alternative?? western Misnomer



  25. Carl Foster on June 16, 2021 at 1:00 am

    Greetings everyone, I want to inform the public on how I was cured of (GENITAL  WARTS)

    by a Doctor called Dr. Ovie. I visited different hospital but they gave me

    list of expensive drugs to treat the symptoms and never cured me. A closed

     friend of mine introduces me to a Herbal Doctor who cured her. I was scared

    to contact him because of what I experienced from fake doctors. she

    encouraged me and gave me his WhatsApp and Email: ovie.miraclemedicine1@gmail.com, and I contacted him via

    WhatsApp on +2349056393169. when I contacted him I asked him a series of questions, I also ask

    him to show me the results of those he has cured with his herbal drugs, 

    he gave me all the information I needed that gave me hope. He sent a Herbal medicine to me through the delivery service

    I received the medication and took and it seriously worked for me. am now GENITAL WARTS (negative) God bless you for being a sincere and great man. Am so excited

    and I am free from GENITAL WARTS.



  26. m e on June 16, 2021 at 1:01 am

    you are a liar.



  27. trains and trams on June 16, 2021 at 1:02 am

    I have nice, simple words: real medicine and fake quacko-medicine.



  28. Thingonometry - on June 16, 2021 at 1:02 am

    Hey healthtriage! Great channel. Can yall provide links for these sources? Not doubting your honesty, just want em



  29. peanut12345 on June 16, 2021 at 1:03 am

    The Church of Medicine{Havard is the Pope} cannot allow the priest to go against the POPE—- to Nature and TCM is Evil.



  30. Mary Broadcast on June 16, 2021 at 1:04 am

    nice video, have a look at my channel too. Thx! Cheers Mary



  31. Daniel Prince on June 16, 2021 at 1:05 am

    So accociation between acupuncture practice and pain relief was observed in the study you mentioned?
    Correlation doesn’t equate causation doc, I know you have used the phrase so many times that if you take the study for granted, you would come out hypocritical.



  32. Willie Clark on June 16, 2021 at 1:08 am

    My problem with that study about homeopathy is that it ignores side effects



  33. Patrick King on June 16, 2021 at 1:09 am

    Every time I go to my partner’s home country Malaysia her Malaysian Chinese family indoctrinates her with riddicoilous ideas based on "Qi"an notion of a "cooling" or "heaty" I get annacdotal evidence from her antie who is a nurse no less. I want a simple conisese video, like the ones you make to prove my point and to stop them from wanting to stab needles into my mum’s foot, and feed me birds nest soup, and other potentially harmful garbage.

    Please and thank you!

    PS really appreciate your work!



  34. Paranormal Encyclopedia on June 16, 2021 at 1:10 am

    Remember the old joke: do you know what they call alternative medicine that works? Medicine



  35. Cowboy Hank on June 16, 2021 at 1:11 am

    My university is playing this right now at a symposium for Master student’s research 😀



  36. Amber Brown on June 16, 2021 at 1:12 am

    I completely agree with all Dr. Carroll pointed out in this video. Particularly, I enjoyed the notion that medicine is either proven or unproven. There should be no conventional versus alternative medicine, just that which is supported to work. To add to this topic, I want to discuss an ethical viewpoint of recommending laboratory-made medicine over other treatment options.  

    Health professionals are supposed to act to benefit others as they are mandated to adhere to the principle of beneficence. Recommending a treatment that has no support is not benefiting a patient unless they have tried everything else and they are grasping at straws to find something that works. Recommending treatments whether they are laboratory-made drugs, exercise, a healthier diet, meditation, or natural drugs benefits patients as long as they have gone through the vigorous research cycle and have been proven to work.

    Health professionals who prescribe laboratory-made drugs over supported alternatives like taking vitamins, exercising, or switching to a healthier diet are acting ethically as long as the drug is proven to work and the patient chose that treatment option. Respect for autonomy is big in healthcare and individuals have the right to choose what treatment option they want, just as health professionals have the right and duty to express their recommendations. The only mishap here would be if a patient took the recommendation of a health professional who chooses not to keep up with current research and only recommends one treatment without acknowledging the strengths of others. Refusal to change one’s behavior when research supports other treatments over the preferred one is unethical of health professionals. They should always be willing to change their practice and recommendations if research permits it. This is the only way to ensure one is continually acting to benefit their patients.

    All in all, it is not unethical to prescribe laboratory-made drugs over alternatives as long as there is proof that it works, all options were expressed to the patient, and the patient chose that treatment option. The patient should always have the final decision and the health professional should always present the patient with all the supported treatment options currently known.

    Tying this to a few individuals’ comments to Dr. Carroll’s video, I urge individuals to stop complaining about being prescribed more and more drugs or undergoing treatment that does not work for them. Not all individuals respond the same to certain treatments. It is not guaranteed that it will work for you, that is why there are different options to consult your doctor about. Take the time to research alternatives, find supported options, and confront your doctor about trying them. I understand there is a lack of willingness to change practice for some health professionals. This is a problem I alluded to above. Yet, if they do not change, you have to take it upon yourself to. Get second opinions, research reputable sources, and take charge of your health. Though we would like our health professionals to be completely responsible for our health, that is not the case. You are responsible for it too.



  37. trains and trams on June 16, 2021 at 1:13 am

    I know great names: real medicine that are proven to be effective, be they natural or artificial, new or old, involving drugs or not, whatever, and snake oil that wastes money and means people don’t use proven methods.



  38. mr cleeves on June 16, 2021 at 1:14 am

    I definitely agree on this, especially because good natural remedies can end up getting mixed up with a bunch of mundo jumbo spirit stuff all under the umbrella “alternative medicine”. But at the same time herbal like medicine should be differentiated from big hospital medicine like pills and such, just because they are so different.



  39. Harry Benard on June 16, 2021 at 1:17 am

    All thanks to @doctorsaibu for curing from my long term herpes type 1 virus which i have be ignorant to believe has a real cure ☺☺ email drsaibu2@gmail.com WhatsApp him on +1(614)2898593 and be free from herpes permanently i love you ❤ ❤ u sir .. !!..



  40. Sh Quita Boone on June 16, 2021 at 1:18 am

    I never know that ND’s could write for conventional medicines.



  41. emilycaroline88 on June 16, 2021 at 1:20 am

    Hi, how about the phytotherapy? Does WHO recommends it? Have them been studied? I’d love to see a video about it!



  42. Daryl V. on June 16, 2021 at 1:22 am

    My doctor recommended green tea and foods with garlic for my fatty liver, it worked.



  43. David Ben on June 16, 2021 at 1:22 am

    I am here to testify how great man called Oriaghan helped me out with herbs and roots which he prepared for me in use of curing herpes. I takes his product (cure) for (14) days before I am to known I was totally cure out of it, and i promised him that i will testify my healing to the whole world about how he cured me which I am very happy I am doing now , oriaghan_cure_home_ also cure all kinds of diseases , #HEPATITIS, #ABC #CANCER, #DIABETICS , #Herpes
    #FRIBLOD,ALL KINDS OF #highbloodpressure , #LUPUSVIRUS. and so much more , please you can get him contacted on whatsapp +2347053172603 his email him oriaghanhappy@gmail.com

    https://m.facebook.com/Dr-Oriaghan-111337397263232/?ref=opera_speed_dial



  44. badseed86 on June 16, 2021 at 1:23 am

    The study on accupuncture really compares different forms of placebo and tell us that some placebos are stronger than others



  45. Nancy Carlos on June 16, 2021 at 1:24 am

    There is a great herbal man call Dr okougbo who can cure herpes virus problem and other deadly diseases with the use of natural herbal to cure Herpes virus problem. He is from Africa and he is a great doctor and he can also cure you as well if you are the problem And other deadly disease and here is is email address dr.okougboherbalhome1@gmail.com or Whatsapp +2349032690878 HEPATITIS BCURE, HIV/AIDS CURE,CANCER CURE ,HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE CURE,BAD BREATH CURE,HPV CURE, ALS CURE;



  46. angeluscorpius on June 16, 2021 at 1:25 am

    The Singapore Govt allows Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to be practised and accredited under the TCM Act (2000). However, this may be a cunning move that is specific to a society like Singapore.
    Singapore has a ethnic Chinese majority, and a significant percentage of the Chinese population believe in the efficacy of TCM.
    BUT, the efficacy of TCM has not been proven. The Singapore Govt is not soft-headed. So why did it recognise and allow TCM to be practised with official sanction?

    Short answer: politics.

    Longer answer: Recognising TCM would score political points with the traditional Chinese who believe in TCM. Also, while the efficacy of TCM is not proven, it is also unlikely to be harmful. And in the best case scenario, there is the placebo effect. So the net effect is that there is no harm, the patient feels better because of placebo effect (maybe), and some patients are diverted from the national healthcare system to TCM. The lines at the national healthcare polyclinics are shorter, and people are happier (or at least less unhappy), and this is political points for the govt.
    Well, that is the cynical view.
    Q: Would TCM be right for your city/state/country?
    A: would any of the advantages in the longer answer apply to your city/state/country?



  47. Ryan A on June 16, 2021 at 1:28 am

    Wow this was very disappointing and there is clearly a lack of distinction between evidence-based medicine and science-based medicine. I suggest the writers familiarize themselves. In regards to moxibustion alone: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/moxibustion/



  48. I can't find a good yt name on June 16, 2021 at 1:30 am

    Placebo is one hell of a drug!