MEDICAL FAILURES

C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.

When I finished my neurosurgical residency in 1963, I was certain of two failures of common practice, treatment of chronic pain with

• cordotomy, cutting the front half of the spinal cord
• lobotomy, destroying the personality with removing a frontal lobe of the brain

To be kind, both procedures are crude, barbarian and create far more problems than help. Fifty-two years later, I am now certain that a great number of common treatments are equally ineffective and harmful:

• Treatment of chronic pain with narcotics, tranquilizers and anti-depressants
• Treatment of cholesterol with statin drugs. I would not take one for a trillion dollars!
• Coronary bypass surgery-does not save lives or prevent heart attacks. ONLY benefit is decreased angina. A mighty risk and expensive approach for angina!
• Antidepressants SUCK. No real help with depression and more complications than help
• Anti-hypertensive drugs-well under 50% effectiveness with universal complications of fatigue and erectile dysfunction
• Chemotherapy–I won’t even say what I think of this

In fact, for virtually everything except acute illnesses and injuries, I find conventional medicine creates more harm than good. For chronic problems I strongly suggest finding a REAL Holistic physician!!