Dooley Noted: 12/3/2013
I work in two areas of alternative health – chiropractic and acupuncture. I also teach my patients to build strength and swing a cannonball with a handle on it (read: kettlebell). I lead instruct a seminar series whose foundation is muscle testing.
Standard research has proved slim on my chosen methods of patient care. It’s there -but it’s slim.
I’m a huge fan of evidence-based care. Testing hypotheses is a respectable way to approach ideas.
So, if the research isn’t there, are we allowed to be skeptical?
No. It may not be literature supported NOW -but that doesn’t mean it won’t be. Or – maybe it’s a challenge to create a controlled environment worthy of the scientific method.
While reading Proof of Heaven by neuroscientist Eben Alexander, MD, he noted the following;
“To be truly skeptical, one must actually examine something and take it seriously.”
– Dr. Alexander
I’ve seen one of the most impressive examples of this at the medical schools. When I asked a table of clinicians and anatomists what they knew about acupuncture, this consensus was respectfully stated: “I can’t speak to it because I don’t know about it.”
They aren’t skeptical, because they haven’t examined it.
Before you establish skepticism, seek to be educated. When forming your educated opinion, I hope your mind is then kept open to the possibility that new evidence may arise.
But as always, it’s your call.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley