PalMD Reposts His 'Death of Vitalism'

here, I cite from Dr. Lipson's "The Death and Rebirth of Vitalism" 2010-09-02 repost at his new blogging location, Scientopia.org.  It is one of my favorites regarding where medicine stands in terms of this archaic and science-ejected philosophy [that just so happens to be the centerpiece of naturopathy's belief system, no matter how slimily they code it]:

PalMD writes:

"[there's] this fallacy [...] that life must be more than matter [...but] biology has become a science in its own right [...and] all biological processes [...are] contrained by the laws of physics and chemistry [...biology's] important step was the rejection of two erroneous principles: vitalism and teleology [...] more offensive to me is the idea of vitalism [...] that the difference between living and non-living things is some sort of non-material vital force [...] some sort of 'elan vital' that animates living matter [...] the death of vitalism, and the discovery of genetics, allowed biology to grow to a mature scientific discipline [...though] we will always be temped to think vitalistically [...and] all alternative medicine is based on the idea [...e.g.] Chiropractic [...has] vital energy [...] 'energy therapies' [...have] qi [...] homeopathy [...has] vital force [...] if something is immeasurable and un-observable, either directly or indirectly, it then it is not medically relevant [...] why make up a silly, non-reality-based explanation [...that] has become irrelevant [...] vitalism [is] an ancient and discredited philosophy."

Note: hear, hear.

PalMD on HuffPo's Homeopath Dana Ullman - 'A Dangerous, Idiotic Twit':

PalMD writes in "A New Low At HuffPo":

"Dana Ullman [...] has started blogging at the Huffington Post [...] the stupid truly burns brightly in this one [...that's] certainly an appropriate venue for his brand of cult medicine belief [...and his] stunning level of ignorance of basic human biology [...we know] there is a science to medicine -- our instincts and hunches often betray us, and only by studying the body systematically can we form valid conclusions. Or, if you're lazy or deceitful, you can just make shit up. Which brings us to Dana Ullman [...and his] ignorant load of horse shit [...] one can view the human body in one of two fundamental ways: as a typical biological organism that is subject to the usual laws of physics, chemistry, and biology, and therefore understandable through systematic investigation; or as some sort of mystical thing infused with an elan vital, subject to the whims of the supernatural and fundamentally mysterious. It's pretty easy to verify which is a better model of reality, and which is a fundamentally arbitrary fantasy [...] confounding a reaction with a purposeful, beneficial response is idiotic [...it's a] type of teleologic[al] thinking [that] is child-like [...] Dana Ullman is an ignorant twit who leads a fringe medical cult which promulgates dangerous falsehoods [...per] his pet medical cult, homeopathy."

Note: one of the central reasons I left naturopathy was due to its cultic, vitalistic & teleological supernaturalism falsely postured as 'science not belief'. The retardedness known as homeopathy is actually labeled a science by naturopathy.

PalMD on Naturopathic HTN Tx. Claims - Simply False, Ban Them:

here [hear!], I cite a recent post by PalMD [Peter A. Lipson, M.D. of Science-Based Medicine and White Coat Underground] regarding naturopathy's underpinnings and lack of professional competence [see 001., below]; and I cite my own personal experience in ND school in support [see notes for 001., below]; plus, I 'go to the root of the problem', NDs' inability to distinguish the scientific from the a priori [see 002., below]:

001. Dr. Lipson writes in "Modern Shamanism - Naturopathy For Hypertension":

"the big difference between naturopaths and real primary care physicians (PCPs) is that naturopaths haven't gone to medical school, completed a post-graduate residency program, and taken their specialty boards [...] if a naturopath wants to be a PCP, then they must provide the same services as other PCPs. They do not [...] naturopaths have an incorrect understanding of human biology [see note 02., below] and do not understand how this is applied in a science-based fashion to prevent and treat human disease [...the NDs' AANP site states] 'prominent national studies have shown the DASH diet has been shown to be as effective as drugs at reducing blood pressure' [...Dr. L.:] the last sentence is simply false. DASH is not as effective as medication for many hypertensive patients [...all-in-all] there is no justification for allowing naturopaths to be primary care physicians, and if what they print is accurate, there is no justification for them to treat any patient for any condition. Naturopathy is modern shamanism, and should be banned [hear, hear!]."

Note 01.: speaking of essential naturopathic shamanism, when I was in ND school, they'd diagnose often with applied kinesiology and even pendulums. More specifically, at that school, there's a term they use called 'entheogenic' [even if they can't spell it right!]:

"[the naturopathy foundation course I've taken] Naturopathic Principles and Practice. Principles and Practice 511, Naturopathic History and Philosophy. This course is a survey and introduction to the history and philosophy of naturopathic medicine as a distinct healing art as well as its fundamental roots [its essential NATURE, not to pun]: botanical medicine, nature cure, physical medicine, hydrotherapy, homeopathy, energy medicine and ancient healing systems from around the globe. We will also explore [...] the philosophy of vitalism and mechanism, shamanic and entheogrenic [sp., entheogenic!!!] healing and encourage students to 'live their philosophy' incorporating the precepts of naturopathic medicine into their lifestyles [i.e., drink the cool-aide!!!]."

Wikipedia states, per "entheogen":

"an entheogen ('creates god within,' en- 'in, within,' theo- 'god, divine,' -gen 'creates, generates'), in the strictest sense, is a psychoactive substance used in a religious or shamanic context."

Ah, so what the University of Bridgeport is basically talking about is getting stoned and hallucinating 'the divine' / the essentially naturopathic [see note 02., below].

Note 02.: regarding 'god within' and Dr. L's comment on naturopathy's "incorrect understanding of human biology", it may be summed up in this handout I personally received from Sensenig, the founding dean of the school and first AANP president, in 511 per note 01:

"[life, healing & disease are due to the] vital force, innate, life principle, prana, bioplasmic energy, the god power within you [sectarian figmentations: vitalism, autoentheism, entheogenism & kind]."

002. the shamanistic entheogenic / autoentheistic as the scientific -- an important sign of naturopathy's 'epistemic conflation' / 'knowledge incompetence':

naturopathy does not distinguish between the merely mentalized / ideations that have no supporting empirical evidence, and a posteriori, particularly scientific, knowledge. I have written about this elsewhere.

Bastyr University, an ND-granting school, states it quite well:

"we educate future leaders in the natural health arts and sciences. Respecting the healing power of nature and recognizing that body, mind and spirit are intrinsically inseparable."

Note: the HPN is their vitalism premise, coded, while naturopathy claims itself to be a subset of science. But vitalism is extrascientific [outside of science], and so is supernaturalism. The naturopathic-supernatural [e.g., their beliefs of spiritism, entheogenism, autoentheism & kind] is stated as inseparable from science. So, in naturopathy, evidence and belief are commingled -- the a priori is inseparable from the a posteriori, roughly speaking -- and mislabeled as all science.

And UB and Bastyr are, of course, part of 'the health-robbers consortia' who snookered me with this document in 1997.