We recently took a delightfully relaxing vacation to see family. While there, one of my siblings-in-law received some distressing health news (of the kind with a 50% 5-year survival). They immediately tried to think of just the right combination of "alternative" remedies, quack clinics in Germany, and powdered mushrooms to solve this.
The news is obviously very upsetting. I had also never seen so close up the bargaining with the universe, the magical thinking, that underlies all these unscientific bullshit "cures." And I realized that the fundamental driving force is: If I can just do all the right things, I'll be okay. Bad things won't happen because I can control the randomness with this (herb, gluten-free diet, stem cell transplant in Mexico, by drinking vinegar every day.)
Unfortunately the survival rate of this condition, untreated by modern medicine, is pretty darn close to zero. It's hard to think you might do everything medicine has to offer, and still die. I just don't see how denial is going to make this situation better.
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