Former Panther DT Kris Jenkins Dishes on Career, Panthers

but even if it would provide some small measure of improvement in our injury streak, I say go for it.

There has never been a single double-blinded peer reviewed study that showed any effects at all, other than the nearly imperceptible effect that could be contributed to placebo or pure chance, in any accupuncture, homeopathy, reflexology, etc. Never. Anybody can believe whatever they want, but when it comes to my health and my money, I prefer proof rather than unproven claims. I couldn’t care less about where a medicine comes from, I care about whether it works, and if it works it will show positive effects in a real study. Sorry to go on a bit of a rant, but this stuff irritates the crap out of me. It’s usually harmless, and I don’t care what Kris Jenkins does with his time and money, but this crap can sometimes lead to real problems. Like the anti-vaccination nonsense that has been spread by in knowledgable celebrities, or true believer parents that let their children die rather than receive medical treatment.

I’m an anaesthetist (or ‘anesthesiologist’ to you lot in the US), and former Emergency Dr so hopefully I know a little of what I’m talking about..
Placebo effect is very real and well documented; the basic standard of any treatment to show efficacy is that it is better than placebo – after all, anyone can sell you a sugar pill and tell you it’ll make you better (in however flowery a way they wish to). No-one should dismiss the placebo effect, but at the same time it’s important to realise that it alone ain’t gonna repair your knee ligaments or cure your pneumonia.
Now, some alternative therapies are known to have efficacy. Acupuncture is a good example – I’ve seen it used by mainstream pain physicians here in the UK (on the NHS). Furthermore, we think we know WHY it works. The key is to recognise what it can and can’t do. It may help with pain. It won’t cure anyone’s cancer.
Osteopathy is another example of something that works when applied to the right things – indeed, it has practically shed the ‘alternative’ label.
However there is much out there that really is no better than placebo. Homeopathy is my favourite, as it really is rubbish but such grandiose claims are made for it. It has simply never stood up to proper scientific method – the double-blind RCTs as mentioned above. And because it is about pills/liquid, these are easy trials to do. But think about it – giving someone water with the ‘memory’ of something? What?
What gives many of these practices bad names is that many (of course, not all) of their practitioners prey on the vulnerable and gullible, usually for financial gain and sometimes leading them away from tberapies that actually can help.
It’s very trendy to be cynical about ‘western’ medicine, I understand that, especially because it is not infallible. The fact is, physiology varies. But new treatments have to undergo rigorous trials and safety checks and the training is long and arduous. This is because we wish to get it right. By all means go for alternative medicine as well, but do it with your eyes open and use the appropriate therapy for the condition.
Finally it is disingenous to say no-one has died. We’ve seen measles outbreaks where rates of vaccination have been low following the MMR scare, and children have died or been left severely disabled. Here in the UK the courts have had to intervene in cases where parents deny their kids cancer treatment because they wish to rely on homeopathy (an adult can, of course, just decide to do this for themselces). We know the pleural of anecdote is not data, but still.

Sorry for the essay but I felt it was important to explain this properly. Also apologies to the lack of studies but I’m on my phone and it wouldn’t cope with that.
Go Panthers!

Also, I wish I had a fancy Beamer. One day, maybe, if I’m good…