Ignorance is bliss, the old saying goes. And, sure, it’s true that not realizing the severity of something can leave you temporarily feeling good. But ignorance of medical facts is no trivial matter. On a basic level, everyone needs to be able to assess their health and wellness and decide if they need help. Knowing when a problem is too serious for supplements or over-the-counter medications and requires a visit to a healthcare professional is important. But when the doctor you consult is ignorant, there’s no bliss. Instead, there’s danger.
The Situation
I don’t usually indulge in rants, but I encountered an infuriating situation that gives me no choice.
Recently, I accompanied a friend to see one of the leading immunologists in our area. She needed to discuss results of blood work, her pain levels related to viral syndrome and other symptoms; and she wanted me there for support. While my friend was waiting to see the main doctor, the doctor doing her “fellowship” came in to begin the visit. All was fine until my friend mentioned that she started feeling better after taking olive leaf extract and curcumin (turmeric) supplements.
At this, the young doctor smirked ever so slightly (but still noticeably) and began spewing her allopathic medical “party line.” You know it all too well, I am sure. The one about how alternative medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and Indian therapies are nice things and all but not medically valid. Mostly, I hear these things from established physicians, usually over the age of 60. Those older physicians were trained in the medical field and gained their long years of experience during a time when many of the clinical trials on natural medicine had not yet been conducted. Today, thanks to some of that research, I don’t think that the medical profession scoffs so much at alternative medicine or treatments.
But on this visit, the medical fellow sitting before us was young. She’s coming up in a medical world where the model is shifting toward self-care, prevention and alternative therapies complementing and being used in lieu of certain medical practices and medications. She is not of the old guard. So her comments were just ignorant. Plain and simple, they were based in her having zero knowledge of the subject matter. And instead of trying to better herself, increase her knowledge and offer better responses to patients, she assumed with great arrogance that such things are useless.
The Exchange Between Doctor And Patient
Doctor: “How are your pain and symptoms?”
Friend: “Much better since I began taking olive leaf extract to boost my immunity and curcumin for the inflammation. It’s surprising how much they’ve helped.”
Doctor (smirking): “Well, I am not sure what to say. I mean, I have not read all of the papers; but really there are no studies that show that these supplements work. Actually, there are no studies that show if they work or don’t work. So we really have no way of knowing. But if you think they are helping you with something else, keep taking them. But really, our opinion is they do nothing for immunity. There simply is no scientific data for them.”
Her condescending words displayed her ignorance. I sat quietly, trying to fathom such an ignorant statement. It’s not that she “hasn’t read all the papers.” In fact, she has not read any of the papers. In fact, she doesn’t know they exist. And to dismiss everything in one fell swoop based on lack of knowledge and understanding is just plain ignorant. Worse, her comments totally undermined our trust in any of the medical information she shared that day. It left us wondering if she were just as ignorant of that.
The Scoop
When I got home, I decided to check PubMed.com to see just how many articles there were on olive leaf extract and curcumin as used for immunity and inflammation. And the result: a whopping tens of thousands of study results. Yes, there are thousands and thousands of scientifically carried out and vetted, placebo-controlled studies done by reputable universities like Harvard and published in prestigious journals the world over. Not just a few, mind you, but tens of thousands.
Searching Olive Leaf Extract
A search of the term “olive” showed 18,657 results of olives mentioned as part of clinical trials and studies. A search for “olive oil and cholesterol” displayed 831 scientific papers. “Olive leaf extract antiviral” uncovered five specific studies on its usefulness for HIV-1, rotovirus, influenza and VHSV virus.
Consider this search finding:
The olive leaf extract exhibits antiviral activity against viral haemorrhagic septicaemia rhabdovirus (VHSV). Antiviral Res. 2005 Jun;66(2-3):129-36. Epub 2005 Apr 18.
“A commercial plant extract derived from olive tree leaf (Olea europaea) (LExt) and its major compound, oleuropein (Ole), inhibited the in vitro infectivity of the viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV), a salmonid rhabdovirus…”
Searching Turmeric and Curcumin
When doing a PubMed search for turmeric, that gold-colored root that adds vibrancy to Indian food, I got 2,437 results. There were 236 scientific studies on turmeric for inflammation alone and another 72 for the use of turmeric to help manage diabetes. When a search was made for curcumin (the active part of turmeric), 5,590 results showed. These scientific studies included such things as curcumin’s application in arthritis, hepatitis, cancer and Alzheimer’s.
Here is an example of an interesting abstract:
Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials. AAPS J. 2013 Jan;15(1):195-218. doi: 10.1208/s12248-012-9432-8. Epub 2012 Nov 10.
“Extensive research over the past half century has shown that curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a component of the golden spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), can modulate multiple cell signaling pathways…”
And There’s Much More
Additional studies can be found in great numbers for omega-3 fatty acids (more than 17,000) and traditional Chinese medicine (25,826). The list goes on and on.
So I guess the doctor is right. (Now, I’m smirking.) There are no scientific studies showing whether supplements and herbs are helpful or harmful. There are tens of thousands. And if your healthcare provider tells you otherwise or gives you flack for trying to help yourself with natural means, then I suggest visiting a site like Pubmed.com and downloading a few of the abstracts to bring with you on your next visit. If I had thought to do so before my friend’s appointment, the conversation would have proceeded quite differently.
http://easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/when-your-doctors-is-ignorant-its-not-bliss/
