werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (06/20/85)
The following comes from the New York Daily News: A summary: A British study looked at 3 kinds of treatment for backache. 1) Manipulation as practiced by an osteopath, 2) Conventional Heat Treatment (diathermy), and 3) Fake Diathermy Treatment. The results: Feel better Feel Worse Conventional 59% 12% Manipulation 62% 11% Fake Treatment 67% 9% Quotes: "When it comes to treating back pain, fake treatment works as well as the real thing and unorthodox therapy is as effective as the established kind." "The third got the same diathermy treatment, complete with electric noises and flashing lights, except that the machine had been rendered inactive." "Two lessons can be drawn from the experiment, the doctors report in Lancet, a British medical journal. The first is that claims for effectiveness of unorthodox treatment should get close scrutiny. The second is that 'our results almost certainly attest th the magnitude of the placebo response which may be acheived when harmless treatments are applied with conviction.' " -- Craig Werner !philabs!aecom!werner "The world is just a straight man for you sometimes"
fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann) (06/24/85)
Since when is heat treatment "the real thing" or "conventional treatment" for chronic lower back pain? The books I read said that the ONLY known effective treatment for for simple backache is 1) First rest until the pain goes away. 2) Then cautiously begin a special exercise program designed for back patients (the Williams Exercise Program or a variation). 3) Continue this exercise program every day for the rest of your life. Whether or not you can speed up the first step by a few days is inconsequential. The measure of the effectiveness of a treatment is how long the pain STAYS away and how vigorously you can use your back between pain episodes without undo danger of reinjury. Making the pain go away for a little while by whatever means is NOT an effective treatment. The need is for rehabilitation and better health habits (posture and exercize). Frank Silbermann In article <aecom.1761> werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) writes: > >A British study looked at 3 kinds of treatment for backache. > 1) Manipulation as practiced by an osteopath, > 2) Conventional Heat Treatment (diathermy), > 3) Fake Diathermy Treatment. >Quotes: > "When it comes to treating back pain, fake treatment works as well as >the real thing and unorthodox therapy is as effective as the established kind." > > "Two lessons can be drawn from the experiment, the doctors report in >Lancet, a British medical journal. The first is that claims for effectiveness >of unorthodox treatment should get close scrutiny. The second is that 'our >results almost certainly attest th the magnitude of the placebo response >which may be acheived when harmless treatments are applied with conviction.' "