>I have written to Stephen Barrett before.  He makes valid points, but
>has no apparent sympathy towards holistic medicine.  I think he should
>be careful not to "throw out the baby with the bathwater".  I have
>gotten so much from holistic medicine I hate to see it uniformly
>maligned. At the same time we should try to look at things from all
>sides though.  I just wish standard medicine and holistic medicine would
>join up and then we'd have the best of both worlds.  Mary Jackson
>
>

I agree, Mary.  I think Stephen is a little less open minded than he should
be.  On the other hand, the homeopathic leaning crowd can be darned bull
headed, too, as I'll relate:

I have a patient who owns, with his wife, a store that sells homeopathic
remedies, crystals, books on natural healing, etc.  I enjoy the store, and
my wife and I have bought many things there.  His wife is particularly nice
and informative.  But when this man comes into my office, he always comes
with a tooth problem, never a regular checkup or cleaning.  The problem may
be decay or gum disease, and after I treat him, I try to tell him about
getting this plaque out of his mouth.  He won't let me get very far because
he starts telling me about Teatree oil and other remedies.  He obviously
doesn't believe in dental cleanings (which are the most holistic thing you
could do for your teeth) or good oral hygiene (also the ultimate in
holistic dentistry).  His plaque is really thick and disgusting.  I know
why he doesn't believe what I'm telling him...because in this case the
holistic answer is also mainstream, and he has learned and stubbornly
refuses to let go of the idea that mainstream medicine is faulty.  Surely
he is throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

The answer lies in looking at new facts and ideas without a bias against
either New Age or Mainstream.
Paul Getty
Morehead City, NC
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