RE: "gadaitcha" man (sp? - witch doctor)
[rant]
I really hate the term witch doctor! all medicine uses some psycological components..
think of "doctors"-- how do your recognize a doctor? well, one way is the (US) is with the magical images they display.. college diplomas, medical school diplomas, board certications, every peice of paper they got along the way, is laminated or framed. and half of them are printed in latin, to increase there magical properties.. (secret languages are always used!)
doctors also use secret languages when speaking.. common folks have cancer.. but doctors talk about malignant carsonomias. they were special ritual clothes too, sometimes these are scrubs, other times they are white coats.. and they carry with them ritual talismans, steathoscopes, and or other special tools.. and their tools all have special names..
but we all hold that there is science behind it, so our medicine is better.. the real facts are health and longevity in the modern world owes more to plumbers than to doctors.. (it is flush toilets and clean water to drink and wash your hand with after defecating that really improve your life, not doctors!)
many of todays modern medicines, are from 'traditional' herbal remedies. and the placebo efffect is well documented.. and it works with doctors, not just drugs..
a doctor wrote about the effect.. a patient had a cardiac (secret code here-- heart) problem.. its referedone called galloping heart the heart keeps beating so fast, (it is a complication of heart surgery) that patients almost inevitable die of it.. there is no good treatment.
one patient, just coming out of aneathesia, heard the doctors mention "galloping heart" the patient interpted this as "his heart is as strong as a horse's, he can go at full gallop now!" and made what to the doctors was, "an incredible!" recovery.
what saved the man? his belief in what the doctors had said! not medicine, not drugs, but magical words from a powerful doctor. -- but remember, our medicine is scientific, and its the other guys who are witch doctors!
[/rant]
i think western medicine has learned a great deal about how humans physical function. they are scientist.. but good doctors are healers.. some of our scientist are also good healers, but some healers, know almost no science!
