Health After careful explanation and having them take the test, I found that no one had such a diagnosis. Half of those patients left the practice when I advised that they did not need the injections, probably to seek their “treatment” elsewhere. Vitamin B12 injections have a mild effect of making one feel better and the doctor had profited from this business, even though no diagnosis was ever made. I also inherited a dispensary containing shelves loaded with amphetamines, opioids and “tonics” (70% alcohol-based), drugs commonly used before the days of modern psychotropic drugs such as lithium and diazepam. Such drugs may have given some relief, but the long-term effect of dependency was well known to me. Still today, we are faced with medical myths even when shown that there is no proof whatsoever of their validity. Such is the case with vaccines. In spite of an abundance of evidence that they are safe and do not cause autism or other conditions, there are still those, most of whom are by no means experts, advocating they should be avoided for children and even seniors. With children, there was the fear of an increased risk of autism and even crib deaths. Extensive studies have long ago proven this to be a myth. With seniors, the flu vaccine was said to cause the flu and have severe side-effects. Although only one in a million will have a more serious side-effect, thousands of seniors still go without the vaccine, even though it is estimated that each year, approximately 3,500 persons (mostly seniors) die from the flu (more in pandemic years). Medicine is constantly changing and diagnostic tests and treatments once thought to be the standard are no longer appropriate. As medical students, we were often told that the professor in his/her opinion “prefers” that particular protocol. This was the traditional approach in which physicians used their “clinical judgement” based on their own view of the evidence…based on their review of the available medical literature combined with their own beliefs and opinions. This led to wide variations in the practice of medicine. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it became evident that this approach tomedicine was archaic and, by the 1980s, “evidence-basedmedicine” was introduced as the standard for making medical decisions. All acceptable clinical practice guidelines should include an explicit accumulation of proven research and any health policies must be justified by that evidence. In many ways, the “art of medicine” was replaced with standards of care and treatment for all. Such treatment protocols have significantly changed the practice of medicine. Prevention and treatment of many conditions have become standardized and treatment protocols are published by recognized medical bodies such as professional licensing bodies, national medical associations and specialty associations, along with government agencies. Public health policies regarding vaccinations, food guides, water treatment and other health promotion policies are universal. A number of such reputable organizations have recently reported that there is no clear evidence that taking statin drugs (Lipitor, Crestor) after the age of 75 has any beneficial effect. Practice guidelines that formerly advocated the daily use of aspirin to prevent heart attacks in those without diabetes or previous evidence of coronary or other artery disease have now been changed. Aspirin for primary prevention in that group is no longer recommended, large studies showing no benefit and a small risk of bleeding. Until recently, all men over the age of 40 were advised to have a yearly PSA test to detect prostate cancer. Now, many reputable professional agencies in Canada and the U.S. recommend stopping the test after age 70, if previous tests have been normal, as the morbidity of biopsies and treatment after that age outweigh the risks of succumbing to the disease. The success in the continued promotion of various remedies and cures is based partially on the “placebo effect.”This is defined as a fake treatment or inactive substance taken by an individual in the belief 40 | www.snowbirds.org
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