Julian Graves: Not Just Nuts

[Amaris]

This from Quackometer ...

www.quackometer.net/blog/2008/10/julian-graves-not-just-nuts-dangerously.html

[bobdezon]

B-17 again

Although the warning lable could have been written by a sceptic, I still find it reprehensible that this chain is selling quack cures to the terminally ill. Coffers before coffins eh?

[starx]

Unbelievable!

[lucan]

If they want a replacement products here are some cures from a book I have.
Four Grains of the Extract of black Hellebore: A Broth and an Ointment of green Frogs, applyed.
or
Ribwort ftamped and laid on the Sore, will kill it.
Published MDCCXVI

[julia]

"Flamped"?!

[lucan]

Ops a very old font
ft=st in Old Scots

[bobdezon]

Oct 13, 2008 19:27:15 GMT lucan said:

If they want a replacement products here are some cures from a book I have.
Four Grains of the Extract of black Hellebore: A Broth and an Ointment of green Frogs, applyed.
or
Ribwort ftamped and laid on the Sore, will kill it.
Published MDCCXVI

To be fair, we have better reference books now though. Almanacs published in 1716 would hardly be useful today, especially considering black hellebore is a poison

I totally love all that "old skool" insanity, pity its making a comeback

[Mike]

Old school insanity including creams that burned your skin off, blistering, leaches etc. How many did those tudor doctors kill? What an outrage to sell it in a shop directly in peoples faces though.

[arwen]

Oct 14, 2008 12:01:10 GMT Mike said:

Old school insanity including creams that burned your skin off, blistering, leaches etc. How many did those tudor doctors kill? What an outrage to sell it in a shop directly in peoples faces though.

Modern medicine uses both leeches and maggots today.

www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2003/july/leech.htm

"The use of leeches in medicine, otherwise known as Hirudotherapy, made its comeback in the 1980s after years of decline, with the advent of microsurgery such as plastic and reconstructive surgeries. In operations such as these, one of the biggest problems that arises is venous congestion due to inefficient venous drainage. This condition is known as venous insufficiency. If this congestion is not cleared up quickly, the blood will clot and arteries that bring the tissues their necessary nourishment will become plugged and the tissues will die. It is here where the leeches come in handy. After being applied to the required site, they suck the excess blood, reducing the swelling in the tissues and promoting healing by allowing fresh, oxygenated blood to reach the area until normal circulation can be restored. The leeches also secrete an anticoagulant (known as hirudin) that prevents the clotting of the blood.

The leech’s saliva is truly extraordinary containing a number of chemical compounds useful in medicine. These include a local anesthetic that the leech uses to avoid detection by the host, the anti-coagulant hirudin that can help prevent heart attacks and strokes, a vasodilator and a prostaglandin that help reduce swelling. The leech’s gut harbors a bacterium known as Aeromonan hydrophila. This bacterium aids in the digestion of ingested blood and produces an antibiotic that kills other bacteria that may cause putrefaction.

Not only are leeches economically beneficial costing as little as $4.75 to $6.50 apiece, but studies have shown that Hirudotherapy doubles the success rate of transplanted tissue flaps. This is a much higher success rate than that brought on by drugs or further surgery.

Hirudotherapy has proven to be useful for a number of other conditions including cardiovascular disease, ophthalmology and dermatology. Hirudin is also used in the treatment of inflammation of the middle ear. Osteoarthritis, which is a painful condition of the knee, is also thought to benefit from leeching. Studies performed by researchers from the Essen-Mitte Clinic in Germany have shown that when leeches were applied to the knees of patients with osteoarthritis, they helped to alleviate the inflammation and pain associated with the condition."

and

"Maggots are now once again gaining respect in the medical field. Their use even has a name, maggot debridement therapy or MDT. Maggots are efficient healers of wounds. This was recognized centuries ago when wounded soldiers whose wounds were infested with maggots healed better than those that were not infested. The reason for this is that the maggots used for this purpose eat dead tissues and leave the healthy, living tissues alone. They also excrete substances which inhibit and may even kill bacteria. This is especially useful in areas with poor blood supply that do not benefit much from antibiotics that cannot reach the area in adequate concentration to do their job.

Maggots have been known for their healing ability since the 16th century. Maggot therapy continued until the 1930s when their use in therapy was so common that over 300 hospitals in the US alone were using them. In the 1940s antibiotic therapy and surgical techniques replaced the use of maggots. Their superiority in certain cases to antibiotics was realized in 1989 when they were recognized to be more efficient cleaners of wounds than any other non-surgical treatment."

[farsideofthemoon]

I loved this bit from Julian Graves:

But the kernels have a very bitter aftertaste and can be toxic if eaten in large amounts. Yet, as more data becomes available – particularly on the net – about the benefits of vitamin B17, people will probably be willing to accept the bitter taste in the belief that these kernels may help maintain their health.

If it's on the net, it's true. We all know that.

[Amaris]

An update on this from Quackometer

www.quackometer.net/blog/2008/10/julian-graves-mendacious-defence-of.html