week 11 assignments

Last class we discussed the article, 'Most family doctors' have given a patient a placebo drug’ written by Michelle Roberts. The article discusses the practice of family doctors giving placebos to their patients. The article stated that, “in a poll, 97% of 783 GPs admitted that they had recommended a sugar pill or a treatment with no established efficacy for the ailment their patient came in with.”

This article elicited various responses from the class. I felt like the conversation was hampered by our superficial understanding of the definition of placebo and our willingness to distill the various ethical issues associated with the practice of prescribing placebo down to a simple dichotomy of ‘good or bad.’

A placebo, by definition, is intended to deceive the recipient. In drug trial studies the participant consents to being given either the active form of the drug or an inactive sugar pill. Physicians also have the authority to prescribe prescription medication or sugar pills as placebos to their patients with, or without the consent. On occasion, participants in drug efficacy studies or patients given a placebo treatment will have a perceived, subjective or actual improvement in a medical condition, a phenomenon commonly called the placebo effect.

Like many of my classmates I believe that the power of thought greatly influences our capacity to heal. However, I believe that it is ethically problematic to mislead, manipulate or fool patients. Deceiving a patient disempowers them from having agency in their own health. The argument against this may be that they then may not heal, and while this may be true, health care providers still should not exercise this type of control/ power.

Additionally, (though I agree with neither) there is a significant difference between prescribing a sugar pill and prescribing an antibiotic. A sugar pill has little consequences compared to an antibiotic, which indiscriminately kills intestinal flora and weakens the immune system.

The story in class regarding the small child being given ice cream after being injured/ traumatized, illustrated good medicine and proper care- not a placebo or placebo effect.  This example illustrated exactly what good care should look like- the treatment met the physical and physiological needs of the patient and the patient consented to the care.

Biomedicine as practiced in the west, relies heavily on pharmaceuticals even when the function and total effect on the body is often unknown. The mechanism of action of most of the psychiatric drugs being prescribed in the u.s. is unclear and yet one in five adults is now taking at least one psychiatric drug such as antidepressants, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety medications.

Because it is normalized to prescribe and consume drugs that are not fully understood, the practice of prescribing placebos is logical and rational within the western paradigm of healthcare. However, this is not to say that this practice is ethical. In the clinical setting, the use of a placebo without the patient’s knowledge compromises the patient-physician relationship and may result in medical harm to the patient.

This is not to say that placebos should never be used, instead physicians may use placebos for diagnosis or treatment if the patient is informed of and consents to its use. It is always the healthcare providers responsibility to respect the autonomy of their patients.

week 9 assignments

Post your thoughts on the diet suggestions in pH Balance: Acids &Alkalis & Anti-Oxidants:

A couple of years ago I did a cleanse that was based on alkalizing the body. As a group we tested our ph a couple times a day and only consumed a juice of wheat grass, lemon and leafy greens. The others and I had very similar experiences as our bodies became more and more alkaline. We noticed changes in our moods, energy level and ability to digest food.  We noticed that when our bodies were just slightly alkaline we felt our best. I also kicked a parasitic stomach infection that I had had for several months!

Post your thoughts on this evening’s discussions:

In 2004, the average u.s. american person consumed 46 slices of pizza, 66.6 pounds of beef, 
87.7 pounds of chicken, 21.4 gallons of milk, 
31.2 pounds of cheese, 
23.2 pounds of ice cream, 
9.2 pounds of yogurt, 
11.7 pounds of chocolate, 
24.7 pounds of total confectioneries, 
134 pounds of flour in a year. According to a 2010 USDA study, Meats, eggs, and nuts make up 21% of our diets, dairy products make up 9%, flour and cereal products are 24%, added fats and oils are 23%, and caloric sweeteners are 14%. In other words, the foods we know are not good for us (refined carbs, added fats, and added sugars) are what make up about 61% of our diets!

The average u.s. american diet is incredibly acid forming! Because we are dependent upon a food system that was designed for the purposes of capitalist profit through the comodification of food, we eat processed foods heavy in cheap (acid forming) ingredients. Unfortunately, we do not consume enough fresh fruits and veggies to lower our ph balance.

Not suprizingly, on nearly all indicators of mortality, survival, and life expectancy, the United States ranks at or near the bottom among high-income countries.  

presentation

week 8 assaignments

Investigate the chemicals under your own kitchen sink, and prepare a short report on what you find...

I live in a house with 6 other people and we collectively decided that it was important to us to have a home that was as toxic free as possible. We purchase non-toxic cleaning products. We look for cleaners that don't contain chlorine, alchohols, triclosan, triclocarbon, lye, glycol ethers, or ammonia. We also try not to purchase products that contain petroleum, phosphates, solvents or VOC’s.

Thus our house uses vinegar, bleach, baking soda and a few products that are non-toxic. We also use a windex knock off called Sparkel and there is no way that its purple color is not toxic!

While advertizes say that these products work as well as there toxic counterparts, I cant quite ever get the shower scum scrubbed off. However, it is worth it to me to lessen the amount of toxins that we have in our home, not support companies that expose workers to toxins and lessen our impact on the environment.

Bad Guy Cleaning Products and some Alternatives:

From http://www.webmd.com/health-ehome-9/green-cleaning

Chlorine Bleach

Chlorine bleach is one of the oldest cleaners. It's also one of the harshest. Chlorine bleach kills germs on contact, and isn't much friendlier to your skin, if accidentally splashed. Manufacturers include chlorine bleach in a wide variety of cleaning products as well as some laundry and dishwasher detergents.

Bleach is also renowned for its mold-killing ability, but it's not the only way to kill mold and mildew. Hydrogen peroxide or vinegar also works to kill mold.

Because it's used so frequently, chlorine bleach is the most common cleaner that kids accidentally swallow. And chlorine poses another special danger: when mixed with ammonia -- another common ingredient of cleaning products -- and acidic cleaners, such as toilet bowl cleaners, the mixture releases poisonous gasses. Since it's hard to know what's in every product, it's best to simply not mix cleaning products at all. While it's safe to pour old cleaning products down the drain, don't pour more than one at a time.

Non-toxic Solutions

Use a hydrogen-peroxide-based bleach in your laundry instead of chlorine bleach. Hydrogen peroxide kills mold and mildew, sanitizes counters and cutting boards, and removes stains from counters.

For household cleaning, opt for chlorine-free products to eliminate the risks. Specifically look for "chlorine-free" on the label. Use one product at a time, and rinse surfaces thoroughly.

A simple tip: Keep an old toothbrush to scrub counter and those hard-to-clean tile corners.

Ammonia: Avoiding Hazardous Fumes

Want a clue to ammonia's hazardous properties? Consider its well-known harsh smell. Undiluted ammonia is highly irritating to the eyes and respiratory system. Because it does everything from cutting through grease to cleaning windows, ammonia is found in a wide range of conventional cleaning products. There are other ways to clean that are just as effective.

Review the issues raised in the article ‘Mediterranean diet 'better than low-fat diet' for cardiovascular risk’

The ‘Mediterranean diet ' is arguably better that the typical American low fat diet because though the low fat diet may lower cholesterol, it does not produce better outcomes with regard to cardiovascular death or heart attacks. Instead, the Mediterranean diet discourages saturated fat, but encourages monosaturated fats, lowering cholesterol and producing better health outcomes. 

It is really a shame that many Americans have bought into the low fat diet fad. I am shocked by how afraid people are of fat. Often, for fear of getting fat, many people will opt for the low fat option not realizing that generally that means that the food has been denatured and pumped full of sugar.  A couple of years ago I started incorporating way more oils into my diet and steering clear of anything labeled low fat- because of this my skin, joints and brain function is notably better!