Posted by boB on April 19, 2000, at 20:05:53
In reply to Psychology of Alternative Conventional Medicine, posted by Cam W. on April 17, 2000, at 22:34:30
Cam,
These essays are right on. They broach the subject, though they do not completely address the way science is itself a system of beleif that works because people want to believe it does. Nor do they answer fully how belief can cause physical changes in the brain. I think it can, and the answers might not be all that arcane.
My favorite tragic example of faith and science is the AIDS phenomenon. An era of extreme promiscuity; wide availability of some new drugs, both legal (clotting factors) and illegal (cocaine and poppers); a new technology (the PCR) test; a new series of symptoms (Gay-related immunodiffiency syndrom); a government press release (Shaylala, 1984) and Voila! --> HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The release on the market of drugs previously banned for their toxicity (AZT), administitered profilacticly to anyone who tested postive for HIV and the death rate soars; new diseases added to the list of AIDS diseases (cervical cancer) and a series of press releases again announces the soaring AIDS death rate (oblivious to the correlation of the number of newly added Cerv.Can. cases and the rate of increase in deaths.
Did I say "HIV does not cause AIDS?" not quite. I said most people don't realize there is any legitimate scientific debate, because the scientific norm of our time is convienient. Rubbers stop a host of diseases, and a little fear of promiscuous sex is convienient for all of us. Nobody has a clue what are Lymphocytotoxic antibodies and how foreign protiens can cause the blood to release anti-bodies that demylenate nerve bundles.
Well, anyway, great articles. More like this.
poster:boB
thread:30413
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000411/msgs/30615.html