Or how about the woman who complained that her headaches were getting worse, and her yoga instructor told her to arch her back as a cure? She finally came in to see a doctor when her back began hurting worse than her head.
These are true stories of people who thought they knew better than medical professionals when it came to treatment. They had read something on the Internet or got advice from a friend. They may have believed that the herbal supplement they were taking was being suppressed by the big drug companies to profit from their malady. Or they may have been given advice by a quasi-religious leader who told them that modern medicine was a sham, and there was a better way to heal.
Of course, none of the outcomes were good ones. But they all underline the same advice that stuntmen use to warn their young audiences, and the advice holds true when it comes to medicine: Don’t try this at home.
Alt Cures Are Big Biz
From yoga to supplements, from natural cures to supernatural ones, people have tried all sorts of outside-the-box ways to feel better, look younger, and help protect themselves from diseases, both real and imagined. They rely on advice that’s folksy but fantastic, more marketing than medicine, and certainly not something that any reasonable medical professional would recommend.