{"id":3189,"date":"2016-02-16T12:31:14","date_gmt":"2016-02-16T12:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthicine.org\/wordpress\/?p=3189"},"modified":"2018-01-14T03:31:39","modified_gmt":"2018-01-14T03:31:39","slug":"medicine-cures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/healthicine.org\/wordpress\/medicine-cures\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Medicine gives up on Cures"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IMG_8047-f\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Can you see the owl, hiding in the pepper tree? \u00a0It’s not that hard, once you know what you’re looking for. But if you weren’t looking for an owl, it’s just a tree.<\/p>\n

Medicine, has given up on cures, given up on the search for cures, given up on any\u00a0science of cures. \u00a0If medicine was a science, cures would be defined for every illness, and we would be working to find and test\u00a0cures, measuring our progress towards cures, and arguing about different definitions of cures for different diseases. \u00a0But there is no interest. There’s no money to be made searching for cures. Cure is not defined, even doctor’s can’t define cures.<\/a><\/p>\n

There is no science of cures. \u00a0You can, if you wish, take some time to read a few hundred of the most recent ‘medical research studies’. You’ll find few, if any, that use the word cure. Medical research studies measure symptoms. \u00a0When a cure occurs, it is lumped with other results, seldom noticed.<\/p>\n

Modern medical texts have\u00a0given up on Cures<\/strong><\/p>\n

Many medical dictionaries simply do not define the word cure. Medical texts like the MERCK Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, Lange’s Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, Winter Griffith’s Complete Guide to Illness, Injury, and Surgery, and Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, do not use the word cure in their titles. \u00a0None of them provides a definition for a cure, much less a useful, workable scientific definition. \u00a0The word cure does not \u00a0appear in the indexes and seldom appears on the text.<\/a> Most references to ‘cure’ are inside the word ‘incurable’, or phrases like ‘does not cure’, ‘difficult to cure’, etc. These tomes recommend ‘treatments’ not\u00a0cures.<\/p>\n

Pharmaceutical Companies have given up on Cures<\/strong><\/p>\n

In of the top 20\u00a0best selling medicines in 2011, only one claims to cure any disease.<\/a> In 2012, only 4 medicines in the top 100 best selling medicines claim to cure. \u00a0In 2013, there are three in the top 100. \u00a0USA purchases of the top 100 medicines, in 2013, was over\u00a0157 billion dollars. \u00a0Less than 2 billion dollars were spend on medicines that cure. The first medicine that cure any illness was number 77 in sales.<\/p>\n

You might think, maybe, some\u00a0of those best selling medicines sold in 2013 actually cure – but we don’t notice, because cure is not defined. \u00a0\u00a0No. That’s not actually the case. Most, the overwhelming majority of medicines sold in 2013, are designed to decrease symptoms of illness, or to prevent illness. They make no attempt to address cause of illness, no attempt to cure. It’s getting worse, not better.\u00a0The only three medicines that might cure a disease, any disease – are antibiotics. There are no other cures in the top 100 medicines sold in 2013.<\/p>\n

And then there’s over the counter (OTC) medicines. The USA spends about 40 billion per year in OTC medicines – according to the Consumer HealthCare Products Association. We know that over the counter medicines do not cure. \u00a0None of them. \u00a0They treat symptoms, in many cases they treat symptoms of illnesses, like the common cold, that cannot be cured by medicines, but are easily cured by health.<\/p>\n

Researchers have given up on Cures<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1996 a clinical study \u201cHomoeopathic versus placebo therapy of children with warts on the hands: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial.<\/a>\u201d tested a homeopathic medicine against a placebo, in the treatment of warts. The homeopathic medicine cured the warts in 5 patients. The placebo cured one. The homeopathic treatment\u00a0cured 20% of the patients warts. \u00a0The placebo cured 3.3 percent.<\/p>\n

Two years later, in 1998, an almost identical study \u201cA double-blind, controlled clinical trial of homeopathy and an analysis of lunar phases and postoperative outcome.<\/a>\u201d was completed. But with one, small change. \u00a0The study did not measure, did not count ‘cures’. \u00a0As a result, the study concluded that the homeopathic medicine performed no better than a placebo – in treating the ‘symptoms’ of warts.<\/p>\n

Why\u00a0did medicine ‘progress’, only to\u00a0forget about cures?<\/p>\n

Medical research into most, perhaps all illnesses today ignores cures. \u00a0Cures are not defined as part of the research parameters. \u00a0It’s hard to measure cures, so researchers measure and study symptoms instead. \u00a0This leads to a predictable outcome – medicines that treat symptoms (but do not cure) cause other symptoms, calling for more medicines that treat symptoms (but do not cure). \u00a0Medical researchers who believe they are working gradually ‘towards a cure’ are fooling themselves, and fooling many of us as well.<\/p>\n

Medical Fundraisers have given up on Cures<\/strong><\/p>\n

The American Cancer Society’s mission statement<\/a>, does not contain the word cure. The word ‘cure’ had almost disappeared from their website, until the recent announcement by Obama about curing cancer. \u00a0Now it re-appears, but with questions like “But is it reasonable to expect we can ever ‘cure cancer,’\u00a0…\u00a0In some cases, we already have.<\/em>” We have cured cancer, they claim. But there is no evidence. \u00a0No-one tests for cancer cures. Cure is not defined for cancer. We\u00a0measure ‘5 year survival’, without symptoms of cancer, even though it takes years for a cancer to become visible. We do not measure, do not even notice cancer cures. \u00a0Caner patients who are ‘cured’ disappear from the system, disappear from statistics.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The American Diabetes Association’s mission is “To prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes<\/em>“, but what if someone’s diabetes was cured? How would we know? \u00a0How can the American Diabetes Association search for a cure, without a definition of ‘cure’. \u00a0Cure is not defined for diabetes, because to define cure requires identification of cause. But when the American Diabetes Association suggests you “Ride for the Cause”, it’s not about the causes of diabetes – \u00a0it’s about their cause, to\u00a0raise money – not about a\u00a0search for a cause of diabetes. Note:\u00a0One organization that appears to be ‘curing’ diabetes, does not use the word cure<\/a>. Why not? Cure and\u00a0\u00a0cured are\u00a0not defined for diabetes. So instead, the researchers use the word ‘reversal’. What is the difference between ‘reversing type 2 diabetes’ and ‘curing type 2 diabetes’? Cure is not defined. Neither is reversal, but no-one cares if you misuse the word reversal.<\/p>\n

The National Obesity Foundation is dedicated to “fighting obesity, its causes and consequences”. But the word cure does not appear in their mission. Instead, they wish to “help anyone struggling with obesity to overcome this disease<\/em>“. \u00a0What is the difference between ‘overcoming’ obesity and curing obesity? The Obesity Medical Association claims “We are the clinical leaders in obesity medicine who work to advance the prevention, treatment, and reversal of the disease of obesity.<\/em>” \u00a0Why do they use the word ‘reversal’ instead of cure? If obesity is\u00a0cured, would this organization continue to\u00a0exist?<\/p>\n

The Heart and Stroke Foundation has given up on cures. Their mission says\u00a0“Our mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.<\/em>“. A search for ‘cure’ on their site, comes up with an article titled “The quest to cure heart disease is being overshadowed by the constant pursuit of grants<\/em>“. The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s main message about cure is ‘You’re the Cure<\/em>‘, their campaign to build support and raise funds for their mission – which does not contain the word cure.<\/p>\n


\nCure.org, Cure.com, TheCure.com<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cure.org, you might think, is dedicated to finding cures? \u00a0But no. Their website says “CURE is committed to healing for today, healing for tomorrow, and healing for eternity.” The word cure is used, but as a verb, ‘to cure’, it is ignored. Does cure.org actually cure children’s illnesses? I suspect that they do, but they don’t use the verb ‘cure’.<\/p>\n

Cure.com sells auto insurance, with “CURE offers affordable car insurance that could save you over 50%<\/em>“. \u00a0TheCure.com is a rock band. That’s how much we know\u00a0about cures.<\/p>\n

Cures are Disappearing. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

We don’t s\"IMG_8047-f-2\"earch for cures anymore. \u00a0Why does\u00a0this happen?\u00a0Once you know you’re looking for the owl, it’s easy to see. \u00a0Once you know you’re looking for a cure, is it easy to see?<\/p>\n

There are no scientific definitions of cure and cured. There is simply no definition of cure, nor of cured for many diseases. If there is no way to recognize an owl, how can you find one?<\/p>\n

The World Health Organization groups diseases in three broad categories:<\/p>\n