Bill Mahr's crusade against modern medicine

[DirtyMartini]

Not that I didn't already know the Bill Mahr was a crackpot, but has anyone seen his latest bit?

First I saw him on Dave, then on his own show. Both times he left off his usual Bush-slamming to attack modern medicine. He stated outright that "all medicine is poison". He equated drinking treated/chlorinated water with drinking a glass of chlorine. He said he would never take an antibiotic. He said taking antimalarials when traveling to an endemic zone was unnecessesary (and spouted some gibberish about swamps being the culprit, not mosquitos). He said if stuck on a plane full of people with the flu that he could not possibly get sick because he knows how to "live healthy". His guest, including the arrogant, but articulate and educated Bob Costas, were flabbergasted.

The degree of BS in his polical commentary usually goes right over my head, as I don't know the facts/stories/theories on which he bases comments. I can also accept that he's primarily a comedian and is using hyperbole in the case of policial commentary. But with regard to this medicine thing, I do know something about that, and he seems 100% sincere in his belief that modern medicine is a complete fraud that makes people less healthy. He seems to be the missionary of healthy-livin through voodoo, even going so far as to say he "got religion" on the subject. Now, I'm all for people living healthier, but saying that all medicine is poison is not just ludicrous, it's dangerous.

So what's this all about? Expected diametric opposition to the pill-for-what-ails-ya/Viagra/Oxycontin/Ativan culture in America? Typical celebrity lunacy? Weird polical opposition to the drug companies?

[Arrian]

Who is Bill Mahr?

-Arrian

[SlowwHand]

I can also accept that he's primarily a comedian and is using hyperbole in the case of policial commentary.

You've answered your own question.

[Jon Miller]

Living healthy is a huge preventative. And is often under emphasized. That being said, he sounds like a quack.

I have personal experience that by living healtthily you can stop having high blood pressure. Christianity (and some other religions) really do have the theme of living healthily within them, but people start focusing on the rules (which are sometimes silly to a modern person) rather than on the theme.

JM

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Arrian
Who is Bill Mahr?

-Arrian

Bill Maher is the guy who used to Politically Incorrect and now Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.

[Kidlicious]

Re: Bill Mahr's crusade against modern medicine

Originally posted by DirtyMartini
Weird polical opposition to the drug companies?

More like a person who has smoked way too much pot, and probably taken too much other drugs, and is opposed to the drug companies. And it's too bad because we need more opposition to drug companies.

[Patroklos]

Yeah, I hate new medical breakthroughs too

[DirtyMartini]

Arrian --

Maher is an ultra lefty former stand-up comedian, current political/comedy talk show host. He has a show on HBO (showtime?) called Real Talk. He's like the Rush Limbaugh of the left. Conspiracy theorist. Militant atheist. Bush hater. Espuser of unsubstantiated claims and wild assumptions galore. Blah, blah, blah. I used to find his show mildly amusing, but even before this whole heath thing, he seemed to have gone off the deep end. He's also a complete jerk to his guests, who are usually middle of the road celebrities and political wonks. He did get Bill Richardson to come on for a week though.

Originally posted by SlowwHand


You've answered your own question.

I don't think so -- it's a whole different attitude when he's talking about the health thing. He drops the snarky a-hole persona to a great degree. He really seem to think he's doing the world a huge service by telling everyone to get off their meds.

JM-

totally agree with you. The best thing to do for your health is to quit smoking or don't start. Also wear your seatbelt. After that -- eat healthy, exercise reguarly, and maintain a healthy weight. Those things can eliminate or reduce the need for antihypertensives or cholesterol lowering agents -- that's a very good thing. But he's saying stuff like -- don't take antimalarials when travelling to the tropics, or that he is absolutely immune to influenze. That is pure craziness and can be scientifically disproven.

edit: Thanks Imran, was wondering why the google search turned up so little

[SlowwHand]

So you agree with the Billster at face value then.

[DanS]

Modern medicine has a lot of limitations, which aren't often mentioned. That said, it sounds like Maher is attacking modern medicine in some of the areas in which it is strongest, and the alternatives weakest.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

Did he secretly switch to Scientology or something?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Patroklos
Yeah, I hate new medical breakthroughs too

Oh, I like medical breakthroughs. I just don't want them to be dependant on how much money someone can make from them.

[DirtyMartini]

Sloww--

I agree that if people would focus on "clean livin'" from birth onward, that would have a huge impact on health, and would reduce the need for drugs for such probems has high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and type II diabetes. As most drugs have some incidence unwanted side effects in addition to costing money, reducing or eliminating the need for them would be a Very Good Thing. So, I agree, people should eat healthy, exercise more and maintain a healthy weight.

However, "clean living" cannot grant you immunity to infectious disease as Maher directly claims (or to pain, allergies and depression as he implies). He has made a fantastic leap of logic from the fact that healthy living can reduce the risk of some diseases to the preimise that by drinking only pure spring water (and presumably smoking dope) he can obviate the need for any medical care whatsoever. I'm honestly not sure what is worse -- the "pill for everything that ails you" mentality, or the "no pills ever no matter what mentality".

So, I agree with Maher that a healthy lifestyle is the best thing within your control that you can do to ensure a long and healthy life.

However, I regard as complete and utter stupidity the belief that all medicine is poison.

[DirtyMartini]

Originally posted by DanS
Modern medicine has a lot of limitations, which aren't often mentioned. That said, it sounds like Maher is attacking modern medicine in some of the areas in which it is strongest, and the alternatives weakest.

Absolutely --

On one hand, you've the "fix me now, pill/surgery for everything, I have no responsibility for my own health" attitude which regards modern medicine as infallible. This is not good.

On the other hand, you have Christian Scientists, scientologists and now Maher saying that all medicine is bad and that God, thetans or clean-living pwn all disease -- forget modern medicine.

I guess the latter attitude would massively reduce health care expenditures, but it's incredibly naive, utterly insulting to the health care profession as a whole, and frankly dangerous.

I guess such an approach could sort of work in the U.S. where lifestyle influenced diseases such as heart disease, smoking and diabetes are huge problems. But he seems to be quite focused on infectious disease -- the leading killer worldwide, one of the more successful areas of modern pharmacy, and only under control in the US in the first place because of advances in medical care.

[Lord Avalon]

I saw him go off on that rant. While I think there's something to be said about the overuse of antibiotics, I do think they have their place (but not against viruses). And why drink bottled water if your tap water is perfectly fine (and also much cheaper)? It was also strange to hear him say he "got religion" on this subject.