AAFP article: doctors should abuse their power and suggest unproven therapies to make more money
At least, that’s one interpretation of comments made by Dr. Reid Blackwelder:
U.S. adults are spending almost $34 billion a year on complementary and alternative medicine, or CAM, products and therapies, as well as on visits to CAM practitioners. And that popularity can translate into extra dollars for family physicians, says one FP.
[...]
“In many ways, the physician-patient encounter creates a suggestible moment similar to what is done in a hypnosis session,” said Blackwelder. “Use that power!”
Family physicians can build in discussions of CAM during face-to-face office visits for specific complaints, he said, by suggesting, for example, nasal irrigation for allergies and respiratory problems; yoga relaxation breathing for insomnia and anxiety; yin yoga for back, hip and flexibility problems; journaling for grief, depression, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma; and meditation and prayer for hypertension, stress and depression.
The article mentions many proven therapies many of us are already recommending (e.g. nasal irrigation), but many ‘therapies’ discussed actually have lots of evidence saying they are not effective.
More comments at Respectful Insolence and Science Based Medicine.
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