Unpleasant with useless: 10 arguments why traditional medicine is dangerous
Attachment to traditional medicine can be understood psychologically: a person has a feeling that he is doing something useful, especially when there is no official medicine (for example, for treating a cold). Self-medication is often explained as a habit ("Grandma did this, and I have been doing all my life"), and sometimes it really makes you feel better - a placebo effect or a coincidence may work. At the same time, the argument “even if it does not help, does not make it worse” is not very good. Traditional medicine in many cases is not only ineffective, but also unsafe; We tell how it can harm and better than replace the recommendations of elderly relatives.
Pharmaceutical preparations for rhinitis are not really recommended for frequent use, and for children they are not registered at all in many countries: undesirable effects vary from the development of dependence in adults to severe intoxication in children. Perhaps it is the lack of suitable drugs that makes parents experiment with home remedies — put aloe, garlic, onion juice, or, for example, breast milk, into the nose. But for those who consider them to be a safe natural alternative to “chemical” drops from a pharmacy, it's time to reconsider their views.
Breast milk when instilled into the nose will not cause harm - but will not bring and benefit. The recommendations are usually based on the fact that it contains immunoglobulins, protein molecules that help the body fight off foreign elements, including those that cause infection. This is true, but in this case there will be no sense: in the secretions of the nasal mucosa, that is, snot, these protective components are much greater. The burning plant juices are even worse - they are dangerous because they can cause burns to the mucous membranes.
Probably because of the notorious notion that the normal temperature is only 36.6, attempts to reduce it often become fanatical, and horse doses of antipyretic or rubbing with vodka are used. In fact, the normal body temperature varies quite widely: when measured in the armpit, it can be from about 35.5 to 37.2 degrees. Without any disturbing symptoms (for example, in healthy children), it is not worth measuring it at all. To reduce the temperature, which is not too high (up to 38-38.5), is also completely optional, if it does not affect well-being. But trying to get a tenth of a degree by hook or crook is definitely not necessary.
If the temperature is still high and you need to lower it, first of all you need to undress and take a cool shower, that is, physically cool the body. A child can also be doused with a shower or wiped with a damp towel - but it is better to forget about alcohol-containing products. First, because of the rapid evaporation, they really sharply cool the skin, which is quite painful. Secondly, alcohol is very quickly absorbed through the skin, and alcohol intoxication can occur, which is extremely dangerous if we are talking about a small child. In general, wiping with vodka or alcohol is an ideal way to combine the unpleasant with the useless.
Dry air gives a lot of inconvenience for colds, even more irritating the mucous membranes of the nose and throat, so the recommendation to breathe steam often sounds so. True, real benefits in the treatment of couples does not bring, but can really alleviate the irritation associated with dryness. You do not need to bring the idea to the point of absurdity - it is enough to use a humidifier or to spend some time in the bathroom, after opening the tap with hot water for a few minutes. Sitting with a hot pan under a blanket may end up burning your respiratory tract; Besides, as many of us remember from childhood, this is a rare ordeal of boredom.
To breathe essential oils is also unsafe - they can cause pronounced allergic reactions. In addition, any funds with a pungent odor can provoke a spasm of the larynx or bronchi, especially in children. Considering that for inhalation these oils are poured into a bowl or a cup of boiling water, the situation becomes even more dangerous: one careless movement - and you can get a serious burn.
During the Summer Olympics of 2016, viewers around the world were surprised to see round spots on the backs of athletes - and only our compatriots recognized familiar footprints from cans. The ancient Chinese method of treatment really is again gaining popularity among practitioners, and researchers devote time to studying it. There is evidence of its effectiveness in pain in the muscles, shoulders and neck; however, in other reviews the results are inconsistent, and the quality of research can often be questioned.
Anyway, the effect of the cans is superficial, and the effect of a healthy person can be compared with the effect of a massage - which, of course, is not bad for professional athletes overloaded with workouts. The procedure itself has become much safer: now soft rubber cans are used, for suction of which it is enough to squeeze them (the glass had to be fired from the inside). But it is absolutely useless to treat cold or bronchitis with cans - if they work, then practically on the surface of the body.
Firstly, if your feet soar in hot water at a temperature, there is every chance that this temperature will not only not be reduced, but also increased further. Secondly, there are no scientific justifications for these painful methods, so it’s better to just forget about them. Again, a basin with hot water, especially if you pour it not from a tap, but from a kettle, is a risk of thermal burn, and mustard (as a part of mustard plaster or by itself) can cause irritation or an allergic reaction.
Of course, a certain effect on such procedures is quite possible - and theoretically it is logically explained by an irritant or reflex therapy action. But in practice, all these tools are ineffective and, moreover, quite risky, and in the acute period of a cold or when treating young children, they are frankly dangerous.
In the last weeks of pregnancy, it seems that it will never end: the stomach already prevents you from sleeping properly, many have swollen legs, and you want to meet the baby as soon as possible. Pregnancy is considered full-term, starting from the full 37 weeks, that is, after this the child can be born at any moment. When to wait is completely boring and no strength, there is a temptation to use natural methods of stimulation of childbirth - from exercise and sex to champagne and castor oil. In fact, the effectiveness of none of these methods has been proven, and the options, when the contractions still started right after sex, jogging or tea with raspberries, most likely, are coincidences - in the end, the more time passes, the less you have to wait.
But if some methods are harmless and help to distract from waiting and relax, then such as taking castor oil or dried fruits in large quantities can be harmful. In fact, these are laxatives that cause a violent bowel reaction; According to research, this method of stimulation of labor is safe but not effective. True, some gynecologists believe that the use of laxatives in general may result in excessive excitation of the uterus muscles and placental abruption. Even if this does not happen, diarrhea can hardly be called a comfortable state.
When a doctor asks what medicines or nutritional supplements you take, you need to tell everything about everything, including herbal teas or decoctions. Although herbal remedies often seem safe, they are much worse studied than conventional medicines, and hence their effect may be unpredictable. And if an allergy or other direct reaction to a plant is fairly easy to detect, then the body's behavior in response to a combination of herbs with medicines can be very unexpected.
For example, regular St. John's wort can reduce the concentration in the blood (and hence the effectiveness) of oral contraceptives, increase all the effects of certain antidepressants, including toxic ones, or increase sensitivity to the sun and the risk of sunburn. With the introduction of toxic drugs, such as chemotherapy, it is extremely important not to allow any self-treatment, including "herbs" - it can negate the effectiveness of therapy or enhance its effect, harming the body.
Refusing to air an apartment in which someone has a cold is the best way to make everyone else sick. We will not tire of repeating that the causes of ARVI and flu are viruses, which can be joined by bacteria during complications, but these diseases are in no way connected with a draft or a walk without a hat. Moreover, it is in a stuffy room that the chances of catching the virus are much higher - and it is because of the refusal to open the windows that we often get sick in the winter.
The same applies to the myth about the dangers of water procedures in case of a cold: wet hair does not lead to meningitis, and a cool shower at a high temperature not only does not harm, but also contributes to its reduction. Stuff and dirt will not help to recover faster, but well-being significantly worsen.
Mythical slags and toxins do not give rest to many, and for the "cleansing" of the body, monodiets with superfoods and more brutal methods like coffee enemas are used. Often, those who are faced with the need for surgery are trying to seriously intervene in the work of the body: you don’t want to go to the surgical table, and now the person is searching in Google how to “get the stones out of the gall bladder”. We have already said that such a "cleaning" can end in tears - and the risks will be much greater than with the original planned operation.
Attempts to fight parasites, which, as we sometimes hear, "everyone has," are also meaningless at best - the anthelmintic wonder drugs sold for prevention, as well as folk remedies, are ineffective in this matter. If we are talking about real pharmacy drugs for parasitic invasions, then they must first be diagnosed appropriately - “just in case” these toxic drugs should not be taken.
Striving for the maximum naturalness of all processes related to pregnancy and childbirth is dangerous in itself - it leads, for example, to refusal to take medicine or dental treatment during pregnancy, and even to the decision to give birth at home. For the purpose of physical and psychological recovery after the birth of a child, the so-called swaddling is sometimes practiced. This is a wrapping ritual for the mother, who, according to Dole and midwives, does a lot of tasks: from “putting pelvic bones in place” to preventing postpartum depression and expressing “thanks to yourself”.
Perhaps such a procedure is true for someone working as psychotherapy, and also helps to relax or distract from the first children's concerns. Scientists are inclined to believe that such rituals are psychologically important primarily for those who grew up in a traditional environment, but as a result of migration turned out to be far from it. Nevertheless, publications with descriptions of rituals (for example, Turkish, Vietnamese or African) contain the definition of "potentially dangerous." In a period when the body only comes to its senses after abrupt changes, it is better to avoid serious influences such as a bath and manual therapy - instead, you should take a walk and go for a pedicure.
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