User talk:Albannach/Famous historical figures apparently killed by alternative medicine/Archive 1

Byron
Killed by bloodletting, but then it was part of medical practice. ie, it wasn't "alternative" then even if it is now. Sophie Wilder  22:12, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * I know. Bloody awful it was too.-Albannach (talk) 08:23, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Andy Kaufman
"The psychic surgery didn't kill him but didn't help either." So, if it didn't kill him, why is it on the list? "List of people who died because they didn't go to a proper doctor" is a different list entirely. Sophie Wilder  22:14, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

Socrates
The hemlock wasn't medicine, it was the method of execution handed down by the court. Sophie Wilder  22:16May 2013 (UTC)


 * Good God, herbal infusion? Whoosh... -Albannach (talk) 07:54, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

what the hell?
Shit essay is shit. --MikallakiM 22:52, 7 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Shit essay shits on graves for cheap shots at the alt med industry (which had basically nothing to do with most or all of these deaths). 22:54, 7 May 2013 (UTC)

IT'S A DRAFT - not even basic notes. Duh! Shit shit shit. Come back later after you've had your shit. Now SCAT.~ Albannach (talk) 07:54, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Steve Jobs
Even Orac is skeptical about the claim that altmed killed Steve Jobs.--Křěĵ talk 01:14, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Poor and/or inaccurate information is of no value
I'm certainly no fan of the alternative medicine scam industry, but presenting poor, dubious or outright inaccurate info is of no value to anyone. For example, I can say with certainty that homeopathy has never killed anyone, because it is completely ineffective. People have certainly died because they failed to seek proper medical care (and they may well have also sought "alternative treatment") but that is a totally separate discussion.

Can we at least get an "essay" tag on this thing so there's no risk of it being interpreted as an RW article? VOX HUMANA  01:18, 8 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Second the suggestion of Essay tag. However, disagree with the statement that homeopathy has never killed anyone; have read of numerous instances of people taking harmful doses and/or combinations of herbs. It can be dangerous to take untested and unregulated substances especially in combination with other substances. Refugee talk page 02:37, 8 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Fair enough on the dangerous herbs aspect, but Homeopathy is NOT herbs - that's natropathy or herbalism. Homeopathy is "dilutions" of "potent materials", also known as "water". Mass-overdoses have been regularly staged to demonstrate the complete inefficacy of homeopathic remedies. (I suppose you *could* technically drown in a homeopathic remedy though). VOX  HUMANA  04:00, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * Fair enough, but homeopathy does occasionally manage to screw up.--Křěĵ talk 04:44, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * LOL - I stand corrected. I could always try to invoke the "that's not a true homeopathic remedy" argument, but then I'd have to stab myself with a fork. VOX  HUMANA  04:49, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

Laetrile and Lil Wayne
Hi there, it looks like section 7, labeled "Laetirile" is not correctly spelled and should be spelled "Laetrile" (that is, if you are indeed talking about the concoction from apricot pits wrongly touted as an alternative cure for cancer). Also, if you are looking for other examples, maybe you would want to include "sizzurp" which is reportedly responsible for rapper Lil Wayne's numerous recent hospitalizations for seizures. It's a mixture of codeine cough syrup, sugar and soda, which has been mentioned often as a recreational drug of choice for his followers. Then again, there are so many drug combos, or other substances that cause adverse effects, and alternative "remedies" of herbs, aminos, minerals and whatever, that I have doubts this article can become all-encompassing or actually even viable. But if you are going to keep it, might as well at least correct the spelling of laetrile. Refugee talk page 02:33, 8 May 2013 (UTC)


 * Nno iit's nott, sso ffuck of an comme bback wwhen tthis thingg iss akchewly written.Albannach (talk) 07:54, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

If this wasn't an essay
If this wasn't an essay I'd delete all but two or three of the entries as irrelevant to the title's point. Jim Jones's followers died of alternative medicine? No, they died of homicidal maniac. Heroin is "alternative medicine" - what? And, "some conspiracy theorists say this about Jim Morrison." Dear oh dear.


 * I didn''t add that someone else did.Albannach (talk) 07:54, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

For fuck's sake people
I put a note at the top to say I'm still working on this.

DO YOU NOT REALISE THIS IS A very ROUGH DRAFT YOU LITERALIST FUCKWITS?!

It's not even a group of notes right now. I can't believe you're all piling in when that's so obvious. Come back later.- Albannach (talk) 07:54, 8 May 2013 (UTC)

I intend to blank this talk page in a day or two. Unbelievable-Albannach (talk) 07:56, 8 May 2013 (UTC)
 * If it's a work in progress that you want to beef up and polish off before letting the wiki have at it, then you should do it as a sub-page in your user space.  Генгис silverbrain.png 08:08, 8 May 2013 (UTC)


 * You are correct, of course, but the phone browser I am using has its limitations, one of them being its inability to edit certain pages. (Long story). When I am on PC th en I will expand it.Albannach (talk) 08:21, 8 May 2013 (UTC)W