Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Would you help someone get treatments you think are bunk?

Ashartus · 07-26-2012, 10:46 AM

I thought about posting this in the naturopath thread but it might get lost there.

I find myself with a bit of a dilemma. A neighbour's teenage daughter has cancer. She's basically exhausted all of the approved treatments and the prognosis really isn't very good from what information I have. Now her family is trying to raise funds for her to get some "alternative" treatments, possibly in Europe or Mexico, after talking to a naturopath.

As those who know me are probably aware, I'm not exactly a supporter of alternative medicine. I don't have exact details on the treatments she's pursuing (and I don't think they've reached a final decision), but the limited information I've got indicates at least some of it is well into the realm of quackery. So I'm highly skeptical that these treatments will actually treat her cancer, but at the same time she's at the point where she considers this to be her only hope.

Do I:
- Help her out and keep my mouth shut, knowing that the treatments are probably bunk and I might be making quacks richer, but that her feeling some hope might at least make her days a bit brighter.
- Help her out but say that I think the treatments are nonsense, possibly generating some bad feelings.
- Avoid helping out and hope no one notices and that my wife doesn't get too mad at me for being an uncaring selfish monster?

07-26-2012, 10:46 AM	#1
Ashartus First Line Centre Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Calgary Exp:	Would you help someone get treatments you think are bunk? I thought about posting this in the naturopath thread but it might get lost there. I find myself with a bit of a dilemma. A neighbour's teenage daughter has cancer. She's basically exhausted all of the approved treatments and the prognosis really isn't very good from what information I have. Now her family is trying to raise funds for her to get some "alternative" treatments, possibly in Europe or Mexico, after talking to a naturopath. As those who know me are probably aware, I'm not exactly a supporter of alternative medicine. I don't have exact details on the treatments she's pursuing (and I don't think they've reached a final decision), but the limited information I've got indicates at least some of it is well into the realm of quackery. So I'm highly skeptical that these treatments will actually treat her cancer, but at the same time she's at the point where she considers this to be her only hope. Do I: - Help her out and keep my mouth shut, knowing that the treatments are probably bunk and I might be making quacks richer, but that her feeling some hope might at least make her days a bit brighter. - Help her out but say that I think the treatments are nonsense, possibly generating some bad feelings. - Avoid helping out and hope no one notices and that my wife doesn't get too mad at me for being an uncaring selfish monster?