LETTER TO THE EDITOR

TOUYZ

Curr Oncol, Vol. 19, pp. 64-65; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3747/co.19.845

Alternative and orthodox medicine and the odd principle

The Editor Current Oncology November 1, 2011 self-curing. Common colds from viruses are an example. Also, the placebo effect is very potent when faith in belief-of-cure is high. Neurobiology proves that the central release of endorphins increases tolerance to pain and transition to conditioned reflex control of discomforting symp toms. When alternative medicine is successful, it is vacuous to deny or to argue against obvious success. But objective repetition is essential for acceptance, and once so established, the procedure is no longer deemed alternative. Research results derived from double-blind controlled crossover clinical trials with subjects randomized between treatment and placebo regimes, and with neither the patient nor the doctor knowing the assigned category, would go a long way to verifying alternative therapy claims. Only after results are assessed and subjected to vigorous statistical analysis can valid conclusions be drawn with regard to significant success.

BACKGROUND
Although orthodox medicine trains general medical practitioners to comprehensively treat the whole patient and to refer to specialists only when patients present ailments exceeding the knowledge and skills of the practitioner, specialists continually face challenges in ensuring that their specialty careers are mutually interdependent and intertwined with total patient care. Moreover, consumer-led demands for alternative therapies allow many people to seek care from a wide variety of traditions, each of which has its own anecdotal claims of success. These alternative traditions include acupuncture, aromatherapy, biofeedback, chiropractic, laying-on of healing hands, herbalism, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, hypnosis, massage, naturopathy, osteopathy, radiesthesia, reflexology, shiatsu, and yoga, among many other unconventional approaches1. Frequently, those traditions fail to recognize early changes that herald neoplastic alterations.

The Truth
Successful training of health care workers demands recognition of variations within ranges of what is healthy, sustainable, durable, and acceptable. Good discrimination must be taught, recognized, and learned by all neophyte practitioners. In a word, what is normal? The pathologic then becomes recognizable. The inability to recognize other, demonstrable differencesthe odd principleis, at source, of tremendous importance to all medical practices, both orthodox and alternative. Early diagnosis, confirmed by biopsy or special investigation, maximizes subsequent therapy. Procrastination, lack of knowledge, and deficiency of diagnostic skills by medicine practitioners of whatever stripe, all contribute to unchecked oncologic progress, with delayed definitive diagnosis and a resultant reduction in optimal outcomes from orthodox therapy. Early excision of a lesion without spread is far preferable to treatment of a florid lesion and secondary metastasis2.

PROBLEMS ARISING AND THE CHALLENGE

Many people have lost faith in orthodox medicine and turn to alternative medicine for therapy. Too many patients are presenting to orthodox medicine too late for effective therapy because they have attended alternative medicine clinics. This situation applies particularly to early recognition of neoplastic change or late-stage carcinoma. Although some successful reports have been published of alternative medicine in non-orthodox disciplines, including oncology, serious comment on these claims of cure is warranted.

DISCUSSION AND COMMENT

Most ailments presenting for orthodox medicine (more than 80%) are either self-limiting or

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Current OncologyVolume 19, Number 2, April 2012

Copyright 2012 Multimed Inc. Following publication in Current Oncology, the full text of each article is available immediately and archived in PubMed Central (PMC).

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

CONCLUDING REMARKS
Unqualified personnel faking adequate training frequently overlook, ignore, or fail to recognize red flags that dictate the necessity for further investigation or referral. Ignorance is bliss is a paradigm for the well-intentioned but ignorant, and the afflicted pay too high a price for mistakes of omission and for failures of recognition and of treatment. They see what they look for, and they recognize only what they know. Therefore, applying the odd principle... thats not so odd. Louis Z.G. Touyz bds msc(dent) mdent (perio&oralmed) Faculty of Dentistry McGill University

Montreal, QC louis.touyz@mcgill.ca

CONFLICT OF INTEREST DISCLOSURES

The author has no conflicts of interest to declare.

REFERENCES
1. Saks M. The contemporary Western alternatives to Western medicine. In: Porter R, ed. Medicine: A History of Healing. Ancient Traditions to Modern Practices. Ch.8. East meets West. The body in balance. Homeopathy. New York, NY: Marlow and Co.; 1997: 2048. 2. Abrams DI, Weil AT, eds. Integrative Oncology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2009: passim.

Current OncologyVolume 19, Number 2, April 2012

Copyright 2012 Multimed Inc. Following publication in Current Oncology, the full text of each article is available immediately and archived in PubMed Central (PMC).

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