Why science does not believe in folk medicine

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It is accepted that science ignores folk medicine, therefore which is afraid of competition with affordable means and with doctors who are not interested in “treating a person for years”. Whether this is true, the therapist told.

I had to hear this view, which, of course, is wrong. Unfortunately, many times I had to see patients who believed in “folk medicine” almost until the last days of their lives, but came to us when nothing could be done. But the question itself contains the incorrect phrase “does not believe”.

It is not inherent in science to believe or disbelieve in anything, it relies only on evidence that must confirm or refute the hypotheses that arise. And in this regard, evidence-based medicine, as a part of science, is interested in finding and implementing new proven scientific methods of treatment.

Science has no bias towards so-called folk medicine. If a hypothesis arises that, for example, ginger root miraculously cures leprosy, no one will immediately deny it. If there are grounds, full-fledged scientific studies are conducted, starting with the effect of the supposed drugs on cells in the laboratory.

If we see an effect, then we experiment with laboratory mice, great apes. The toxicity of this combination for the body, therapeutic dosages are established. At the next stage, a fully randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study is conducted, where one group of patients is given this root in the form of, for example, blue capsules, and the other – similar-looking capsules that do not contain any active substances.

No one should know which capsules are active and which are pacifiers – not even the doctors participating in the experiment, this is reported only at the very end. That is why the research is called “blind”, that is why the maximum objectivity of its results is achieved.

Further, the summary is summed up, and if we see that in the first group there is a statistically greater number of positive results, then science confirms the healing power of “folk tool”.

The value of such an experiment is that it can be repeated at any point on Earth with any other patients and obtain similar results. All drugs used or other methods of treatment in official medicine have passed through similar checks. By the way, most experimental drugs do not cope with it, and their development is stopped.

Yes, dozens of promising drugs for senile dementia in recent years never entered the market, as they did not prove their ability, although they billions of dollars were spent on its creation.

But “folk healers” as a rule do not show much interest in scientific verification of their potions or therapeutic methods, as they assume what their result will be.

On unfortunately, in some cases, people refuse proven treatment in favor of “folk” treatment, thus causing a heavy, sometimes irreparable blow to their health, missing precious time in which the situation could still be corrected. The specific attitude of doctors towards healers is connected with this.