[Atmob-discuss] mosquito season

[Dr. Arthur G. Swedlow]

Scott Romanowski wrote:
> At 08:10 AM 5/17/2008, Dr. Arthur G. Swedlow wrote:
>> Anyone have experience with any of these oils? Less obnoxious than 
>> DEET??
>
> Considering the source, I'd take those recommendations with a huge 
> grain of salt.  http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/weil.html
>
>> (From Dr. Andrew Weil's website.)
>
>
>                    Scott
>
> `-- c8 ]
> How do unbelievers handle grief? www.godlessgrief.com
>
>
>
Thanks for that, Scott.  I got that info from a websearch on the little 
vermin.

Though the problems with alternative medicine espoused in Dr. Relman's 
article are relevant and have been put forth many times, it is also true 
that many, if not most, common medical practices are similarly based on 
"experience" and have not been accorded the imprimatur of being 
"double-blinded."  This is not an indictment of "modern" medicine, just 
a recognition of the difficulty in doing studies to understand 
unambiguously the effects of various treatments.  One reason for this is 
the extreme complexity of biology and biochemical/physical systems; the 
other is the difficulty in constructing large (to be more valid) 
studies.  That being said, there is much in alternative medicine that 
causes one to shake their head, but much of alternative medicine is 
based on long human experience, a portion of which (?size) is bound to 
have some useful validity.  Indeed part of traditional medicine has 
proceeded from practice of so-called primitive peoples.  An example is 
smallpox.  African tribes had been practicing a form of inoculation long 
before we more enlightened peoples acquired the practice.  In fact the 
Puritan preacher Cotton Mather learned of the practice from one of his 
slaves, whom he described as a rather bright fellow.

As for Dr. Weil, it seems he is a guru with "strange and wondrous" 
powers! My cousin is a trauma surgeon at the University of Arizona.  I 
remember speaking with him many years ago about this errant member of 
their flock.  I don't at this juncture remember him saying anything 
terribly derogatory about him, though at my age memory can do really 
strange things, assuming I have a memory.

I further suspect that the mosquito suggestions are more likely to be 
the easily tested result of old (?ancient) experience.  In any event, 
I'm not at the point of throwing up my arms at the critters and saying, 
"take me, I'm yours."

Take care, Scott...


Art