Reprinted from the ACJ - July, 2000
"Just rub some dirt on it and get back in the game!" My father was a proponent of Alternative Medicine well before it was popular. Mom too. Many times she would respond, as any good EMT to a fingernail hanging by a thread, "let me kiss it and make it better." We all have our own `self help' remedies we rely on. For ourselves, we take vitamins and supplements. We buy braces and ointments and magic cures while watching TV. Even on our vehicles we believe things that may or may not be true. We add fuel enhancers and engine oil miracle cures. We attach magnets to fuel lines and dangle martyr metal in our cooling systems. Unless it is programmed to grab the steering wheel in a crash, even the religious figure on the dash is a form of `Alternative Medicine'.
So how do we separate fact from fiction? Good question. We usually base our actions on the advice of others; `four out of five dentists...', or ` Mechanics who know use...'. The basis for this is trust in the advisor. Most of us trust our mechanic, especially if it happens to be your spouse. We also trust our doctors. But mostly, judging from the huge increase in home remedies, we trust ourselves. Our own experience is the largest knowledge base we draw on everyday. In our cars, we know what gas seems to give us the best mileage, and what tires seem to get the most miles. We know these things because we have done the testing ourselves. "These windshield wipers stink. The other brand lasted twice as long.", etc. We didn't even need the "Pay me now or pay me later" guy to arrive at that conclusion.
In recent years we have been taking this `show me' mentality into medicine, with four out of ten Americans trying alternative therapies in 1997. Alternative therapies have been around for ages. Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture have existed for centuries. Homeopathy and Chiropractic manipulation have also been on modern medicine's back burner for years. But until recently we blindly trusted our doctors opinion on these practices when they said " Ha, Ha, Ha".
Well now the tables are turning. Self styled research and easy information gathering over the Internet have made all of us guinea pigs in the new medicine. Spending on alternative treatments has risen 45 % in the 1990's. Modern medicine is beginning to see the profit, or shall I say benefit, in some of these new `cures'. But science is slow, and before they jump right in and prescribe shark cartilage to your grandmother, they want to be sure. That cautious approach is good for us. Until now we have relied on `Doctor X' when he tells us, in his infomercial, that trace minerals are the cure-all for aging and disease. Never mind that Doc X is a psychologist and not a practitioner of internal medicine or geriatrics. I'm sure that all of us would feel more secure in trying an herbal remedy recommended by the Surgeon General after testing at the Mayo Clinic. That day is approaching. As we speak the medical community is running trials on the benefits of acupuncture and chiropractic therapy. Also, controlled, double blind, placebo type trials are being conducted for many herbal medicines. Gingko Biloba for memory, Glucosamine and Chrondroitin Sulfate for arthritis and joint therapy, and St. John's Wort for treatment of depression are a few of the studies under way. These controlled experiments should go a long way toward giving us increased confidence in the new therapies. Far more confidence than your goofy neighbor saying "It works good". Just as getting an official Technical Service Bulletin from Ford or GM telling you to make a change to their vehicle, a statement from the American Medical Association promoting Echinacea as cure for the common cold would legitimize what is now considered a medical myth.
So in the short run, do your research. Gather as much information on the subject as possible. Then check the credibility of the sources of that information. Analyze the benefits against the risks, and decide if you should try it. Whether it is deciding to start your car's new wax job on fire or wondering if you should wear a gold bracelet to align your body's magnetic aura, the final `expert' on the subject is you. Be sure you are confident with your diagnosis. Or you could always follow my Dad's advice and "Walk it off".
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
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