To growl at anyone who suggests a woo-woo cure for my incurable condition?

[crashdoll]

I'm not again complimentary therapies. I think they play a role alongside conventional medicine but I am sick to the back teeth of people who suggest ridiculous cures for my Rheumatoid Arthritis and another rare autoimmune condition. It's severe - I have joint damage, I am disabled by it and I need strong drugs to get it under control so I can have some sort of life. It may go into remission, it can be controlled but it's unlikely to be cured at this point in time.

I have no problem with people who say "my auntie has this and recommends ice packs and gentle swimming once a week". But I am getting fed up of "20 minutes of standing naked in the rain and you'll be cured".

I've done the nodding and smiling crap but it's not working. I don't want to be rude or swear because I know people are genuinely trying to help but I'm not a fan of woo 'treatments' and people just are not getting the message. AIBU to bare my teeth and growl a bit?

Oh goodness me OP. NO, you are not being unreasonable.

I had a similar experience to PimpMyHippo. After suffering from agoraphobia as a result of panic disorder for 10 years I finally got access to the CMHT (after doing something rather rash I must admit). My assessor asked me why I hadn't sought out help sooner (wtaf?) and asked if I'd tried aromatherapy or reflexology.

As Tim Minchin said (and many others I'm sure), "There's a name for complementary medicines that work....medicine".

I'm sorry you're unwell OP and also sorry you have to suffer such ridiculous , ignorant and insulting comments.

"Or to give her her full scientific title, Gillian McKeith."

My friend is pray for my pnd as 'Jesus loves her'... Good good

Yanbu

I definitley feel a bit brighter and have some cracking sarcastic responses up my arm and ready. Thank you all!

I can kind-of put up with "have you tried reiki or acupuncture?" Yes it the answer. No it didn't work. No, I won't try again. I spent a fortune and I am poor as well as skeptical. What I can't tolerate is....."my fairies say you are very inflammed today and send you healing, soothing vibes". - someone really said this to me! I took a couple of painkillers instead because the fairies unfortunately were not quite strong enough.

I have been told homeopathy will cure my chronic lung disease! I will mention that to my respiratory consultant!!

being the biggest sceptic

I really didn't mean that, although, being sceptic might be a good thing, have you tried that OP?

OP, YADNBU, I had lots of this with DDs excema (I actually wasted many £100s on homeopathy, but that's another story)- had I tried using/cutting out evening primrose/dairy/wheat/lavender etc etc- like I wouldn't have thoroughly researched and already tried everythig possible? Then the woman who told me I should treat DS dyspraxia with fish oil-
'but we're vegetarian'
'that doesn't matter- he wouldn't know'
'but we're vegetarian'
'well don't tell him'
'???? like lie you mean???'
Anyway after reading all the stories I remembered going to a woo-style event. I have VERY short sight and wear contact lenses. Spoke to a man who claimed to cure short sight. Told him I was very short sighted.
'Ahh. And who first TOLD you you were short sighted?' said with deep meaning like it was actually all an illusion. Told him I couldn't read the blackboard at school, and he nodded again as if being able to read the blackboard was actually an optional extra and all I needed to do was re-adjust my priorities !

Invisible diseases suck, especially when people think they know what it is like ("I know how your RA feels, I get stiff and achey sometimes" "I know how your depression feels, I was so depressed when my rabbit died last year" "I know how your ME feels, I am always tired too!"). I can't even count the number of people who have told me I just have to make more of an effort - most of these were NHS mental health workers. I consider it a pretty fucking superhuman effort to have got through the last eight years without killing myself, thanks very much.

OP, I am a complementary therapist and I cringe when I see what people have told you.
I would never dream to say to anyone with an auto immune condition, do x and y and you will be 'cured'... As if...

I am also on a regular basis by what some HCP tell people, western medicine or not.... The lack of empathy can be astonishing as well as the ignorance tbh.

Having said that, I think that most of the people who say things like 'Oh last year I was feeling stiff and found that standing in the rain helped' actually have never felt actually ill in the same way that you would feel when you have ME or RA.

cork under your pillow maybe?

I may have misread the first word of that, slightly...

Anyway, YANBU, I was diagnosed with CFS/ME last year and have had people telling me their friend of a nephew of a cat of a grandmother etc etc got cured by a single lecture of how to trick your brain into thinking you are well and BAM! You will be cured. And approximately £800 poorer.

Oh yes, fuzzpig, I've had that one as well. But the grandmother's cat's nephew was helpful enough to inform me that it only worked on people who were at a certain point in the (self-limiting) condition.

That'll be the point where they're already getting better, then.

Ha! Quite.

have you tried warm baths with epsom salts or something

sorry but i get you I have had all sort of woo to help me with my pain and medical condition people are well meaning and all that but jeez it is annoying

YANBU.

I am all for trying alternative things for my Fibromyalgia. I swear by my decision to give up gluten and think my homoeopathy treatment is helping in its own way. I plan to try various other alternative things when I have the cash too to see if it works for me so I'm totally all for at east trying complimentary alternatives! But I don't want stupid anecdotal stories about somebody's auntie's dog's cousin's owner who did X, Y and Z and is now cured of fibromyalgia. Great, but you actually have no fucking clue what it is like to live with, a quick walk everyday and getting more fresh air won't help in my bad times.

RE Dr Gillian Mckeith. Why is she allowed to be called doctor/ I thought that Dr was a protected term like Architect and Lawyer are?

I had to take DS to an OOH gp whilst on holiday last year. He has severe asthma but was going for something unrelated, of course when giving his history I had to list all the drugs he is on (which is a lot for a then 2 year old) and she started waffling on about alternative therapies which could help him and cure his asthma!

It's not only the daft twaddle that enrages me, but the breathlessly overexcited 'I've just had an amazing idea and I bet you've not thought of this yet' tone which some people employ in suggesting the utterly bleeding obvious. As in, 'know, OP OP OP, I've been doing a lot of thinking about your situation and was wondering whether a little bit of gentle exercise might work absolutely miracles for your RA!!!1!!!1!!!! What do you think???/???/????????'

RE Dr Gillian Mckeith. Why is she allowed to be called doctor/ I thought that Dr was a protected term like Architect and Lawyer are?

she cant call herself that anymore as she got caught out with having a honey internet degree, she doesn't call herself it anymore, I bet that really stuck in her throat

This site is useful against well-meaning but irritating people who insist that will cure your .

Many moons ago The Guardian invited the barefoot 'Doctor' to come and chat on its website... if you've got lots of time and like a laugh, linky here

PS... I'm sure I saw Gillian McKeith on a train the other day.

Actually Mrs Jay believe it or not some people I know do find Epsom salts helpful for pain :o NOT a cure but it is one of the few things that can provide a little, albeit temporary, pain relief. Like my electric blanket :)

No, Dr isn't a protected term except in the medical sense. Hence, 'Dr' Gillian McKeith could not use the title in advertising as in context it conveyed the impression she had a medical qualification. But anyone can claim to be a Dr in the sense of having a doctorate, even if they bought it from a phoney college on the internet. I can call myself Dr. Cleavage any time I want.

I know a woman whose husband is very sick with an aggressive form of cancer.

As she said the other day: "no one on this ward is here because they didn't eat enough broccoli".

"Sometimes when people say this stuff, I get the feeling they want it to be something I am doing wrong. That way, it can't happen to them because they would drink nettle tea or whatever."

^this^

I suspect life is nicer if you persuade yourself that nothing really bad happens and there is always an easy cure, and if not its the persons fault.

I had a receptionist in a massage spa tell me that my awful degenerative condition was all in my head and positive thinking would heal me. Hummm positive thinking actually made me really ill in the first place as I'd ignored it and just dieted/ exercised/ rested etc for way too long.