Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Wonder Treatments - Too Good To Be True?

Recently I got an email from a family member with a recommendation from a trusted friend for a wonder cure to his Crohns Disease.

He recommended Quina Compound, which cost him £800 gbp for a four week course!


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinchona


Looks interesting with a lot of medicinal history, but if this plant is so amazing then surely it would have had its properties proven scientifically. The amount he was charged also raises my suspicions.

Being open to alternative medicines I went to a Chinese doctor years back. From the description of Quina on Wikipedia, I believe I was prescribed something similar.

Basically I was given a bag of bark and other pieces to boil in water, strain and then drink. I must say, it was the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted, and I did not see any notable benefit. The accompanying acupuncture was a lot nicer and I actually found it quite relaxing. That was until they wheeled out the electrocution device and wired it up to pins in the my nipples. Needless to say, I knocked that on the head and saved the £50 gbp for something else.


I have also noticed a lot of spam comments over the years on this blog with random links to professional looking sites setting everything from Yoga swings to Aloe extracts.



Saying all this, I realise I am contracting myself as I recommend the intolerance York Test, which has a flashy website and costs a lot.

The basic message is beware. By all means try different remedies, each person is different, just beware of costly scams (especially if you cannot afford it).