A three year study of treatment for “acute promyelocytic leukemia” adding arsenic into the mix has shown that doing this can increase the survival rates significantly.
What really struck me in this story though was this comment by the Reuters journalist –
Arsenic has been used as a traditional therapy in China for more than 2,000 years, but its use in the United States is still rather novel.
Why is that? What is it about the tendency to certainty in Western thinking? I suppose we have a long history of believing we are right and that our ways are best. We live in a chaotic world where chance events change people’s lives forever every single day. When it comes down to the individual all the so-called certainty of our statistics-focussed view of the world is of little use. When I meet a patient with disease X, I have no way of telling whether or not they will CERTAINLY respond to the same treatment as other patients with the same disease, nor of knowing EXACTLY what will lie ahead for them. But as human beings we can’t cope with total chaos, and complete uncertainty. We need to have some idea of what’s happening in our lives and some idea of how things MAY turn out with particular choices we make. That’s just how we are. We need to juggle our knowledge of uncertainty and unpredictability of the particular with our knowledge of probability gained from the general. The problems arise once we turn those probabilities into certainties.
There was an interesting line of dialogue in CSI the other night – one character, a forensic scientist, said “I am confused”, and her boss replied “Good. That’s the best place for a scientist to be”. He was SO right. Well, not that scientists should always be confused but a scientist who stops doubting, stops looking and stops thinking.
Wouldn’t it be a good thing for us to look outside of our little boxes and see what phenomena are actually already well-observed (just by other people in other places – people who think differently from “us”)
I’m a homeopathic doctor and homeopathic arsenic was the very first remedy I had success with. Whether or not you believe in homeopathy, one thing a study of the subject brings is a greatly increased knowledge of substances used medicinally in different cultures over the centuries. It’s well known to homeopathic doctors that arsenic has traditionally been used to increase stamina and staying power (in fact, it was used to do just that in racing horses until it was made illegal!) It’s also well known to us that arsenic is a commonly indicated homeopathic palliative treatment in cancer.
I wish we could replace the arrogant know-it-all and I-know-best in scientists and doctors with an attitude of lifelong curiosity and wonder.
What do you think? How would you change the education of scientists and doctors to increase open-mindedness, creative thinking and foster a spirit of humble, endless curiosity?
Heroes Not Zombies 
It seems to me like people have to really want to become curious, rather than be told or educated on how it would benefit them. I could be wrong there, but I can see how often others are trying to tell everyone else how to live – at least here in the States, it’s rampant. It seems like so many people reach outside of themselves and try to make the world around them change according to their will, but never really look inward on how to simply change themselves. We only really have true control over own own actions and thoughts, but so often people try manipulating others to change, act, or do. I have a feeling, that because so many “authorities” are telling us all what to do, say, think and how to even react, that people just stop thinking for themselves at all!
Maybe the best way for true change to sweep over people is to learn by example. We can be the best that is possible for ourselves, and hope that the mark we leave on the planet will be a good one. Other than that, I’m baffled at how to make things better, which is frustrating at the same time.
I absolutely agree Ester. I think there’s far too much authoritarianism in our world, too many people thinking they know best for others. I think the best we can all do is express ourselves and share our experiences and knowledge. Then other people can decide what’s best for them.
You know it’s years since I read Illich’s Medical Nemesis. I’m wondering if I should get it off my shelf (oops there you go, just did!) and read it again. [ISBN 0-394-40225-1]
I seem to remember he was very good at clarifying this issue – in education as well as in health.