Chronic Illness: Often Claims of Cures are Scams
Posted by Catherine Morgan on July 21, 2009
Chronic Illness: Claims Of Cures Are Often Scams.
Do you suffer from a chronic illness with no known cure? Like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? If so, you probably wish every day that you could find a cure and finally be healthy and well.
Why is it that just about every illness without a medically proven cure, has loads of people “claiming” to know the cure? Not only is it disingenuous to promote cures to desperate people suffering with chronic illness, but it also minimizes the seriousness of these conditions.
For instance, I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and many people believe the cure for this condition is as simple as getting more sleep (and oddly enough, more exercise). Guess what? CFS has nothing to do with how much sleep someone gets, and exercise often exacerbates Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. There is no cure for what I have, but the Internet is full of sites that claim to have “sell” the cure. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that there are many alternative modalities of healing that can benefit the symptoms of this disease, but they should not be mistaken for (or touted as) cures.
Carla Ulbrich said
I remember in the 90s when people were flying to mexico for the “miracle drug” leatril (sp?) for treating/ “curing” lupus. it smelled fishy to me, and while i was newly diagnosed and desperate, I didn’t want to be stupid.
I do keep an open mind though and keep reading and searching, and have found numerous things that have helped me very much, including qigung, acupuncture, chelation therapy, a whole foods diet, journalling and prescribed supplements (on top of medication to get things under control). Also, friendship and laughter, and pleasant get-togethers enhance immunity, and don’t have to cost a thing.
Maija Haavisto said
Actually, there are treatments that can be curative, like antibiotics, antivirals and IVIG, but they don’t work for nearly everyone and some of them cost thousands of dollars a month. I find it very frustrating to know that I could be cured with valganciclovir, if I could only afford the price tag which is about $5,000 a month.
Carla Ulbrich said
i met a biologist who was on fire about the new hot thing, IGe treatments for autoimmune disease.
once these things come off patent, they will be affordable.
I am no sure anyone has been cured by IVIG and it’s incredibly expensive. The guys who sell IVIG tell me it doesn’t help lupus at all.
And stuff that is helpful and not lucrative is not going to get any advertising. of course.
Carla Ulbrich said
FYI, i’m not poo-pooing anything that might work.
if i can find a clinical trial for the IgE thing, i’m going to be first in line.
Carla Ulbrich said
Just dropping in to say, after joining a low dose naltrexone chat group and hearing about LDN from 3 different places in the course of a month, I am on it as of 5 days ago. it takes a while to show its effects, but the studies done on LDN and lupus as well as RA and other autoimmune diseases are very promising.