27 Comments

• Disgusted

  Using religion as a means of power…much like the idolatrous pope…..

• CH resident

  Perhaps some are, but the bulk aren’t. To the contrary, if you think that FDA is G-d and only the drugs that they approve have the power to heal, then you truly are an idol-worshiper. Government should get out of our lives and only people should decide which medications they should ingest. Personally, I believe the drug companies are drug peddlers. Nobody ever died from some pain. Of course if you have an infection you need drugs (antibiotics) to treat the ailment, but we live in times that people thing poison is good for you just because the doctor prescribed it. I had a surgery and the doctor prescribed to me 140 Vicodin pills! I only needed two Tylenols in total and ZERO of his drugs.

• Still gonna do what I please.

  Who are these Rabbi’s and can they be more specific???

• naturalhealing

  Crazy! If only everyone looked into drugs before taking it…most ‘modern’ medicine is based on ‘holistic’ and outdated herbal medicine. Is herbal ‘treif’? Did the Rambam not know that? Is something wrong with looking at the cause of illness and taking a holistic or preventive approach? That may be a halacha…
  Until someone knows all the treatments and their sources,it’s wrong to bash anything. I think I may say that as I work in a ‘modern’ hospital (not as a janitor but treating patients) and practice ‘vodoo’- I mean natural medicine. Please understand and research both methods (one may have to see facts in research done outside this country) before commenting and showing ignorance.
  Have a healthy summer.

  • Joseph

    “By definition, alternative medicine has either not been proved to work, or been proved to not work. Do you know what they call “Alternative Medicine,” that’s been proved to work? “Medicine.”

• Delph

  There is no link to the full letter. My initial reaction to this article was the the usual bemusement at what is just the most recent ‘Rabbi’ problem.

  I do not want to dwell on the obvious. But a word to those who don’t know anything about a range of alternative medicines, it would be pretty hard to find idolatry as part of any healing discipline readily available. The most that anyone has to worry about (unless you find a voodoo practitioner or travel some village in Thailand) is that people might realize that “you may believe that there is wisdom amongst the nations”, which some rabbis may find unsettling.

  So my initial reaction to this article was desultory, since this attitude might result in people not being helped when they could have been.

  HOWEVER, ‘good journalistic practice’ would have you include at least a link to the actual letter! I looked for it on the web and couldn’t find it. You didn’t even include enough excerpts for me to be sure of the context and ‘tone’ of the letter.

• chr

  more explanation needs to be given.
  it is a radical thing to purport with evidence as to why.
  many of us use alternative medicine bc we dont want the side effects
  poshet for our health
  it is impossible to listen without solid reasons.

  i have a herbalist who grows her herbs
  simply adds grain alcohol
  which produces a tincture.

  this is avodah zora?
  elaboration please!

• Declasse Intellectual

  I find this incomprehensible because there are not enough details. There are many observant Jewish doctors that use alternative and holistic medicine in their treatment of their Jewish patients. These Rabbis need to define what is not acdceptable alternative medicine. Even surgery is not considered mainstream medicine. Many doctors recommend changes in diet, exercise and proper usagae of vitamins and minerals–there kosher ones available; yet, this is considered alternative mediicine.
  It would help if the eidtors of this publication would provide more details and specific information instead of glittering generalities that would mislead people such as in this case.

• ceo

  but sefer ha madoh by Rambam is so holistic!

• which altern med?

  this is the most poorly written article ever.
  article should at least state which alternative medicine, voodoo? fine!

• alt med lover

  Someone better tell Rabbi Manis Friedman then not to suggest remedies.

• Elesoy

  This statement is very late, I doubt if it will be of any use.
  Rabbi Blumenkrantz O”H’s annual pesach book has printed a fairly detailed article regarding alternative medicine and avoda zara for years.
  Many observant Jews in our community have turned to alternative healing like homeopathy, psychics, and touch-healing. Manis Friedman is an example of a Rabbi who supports alternative healing, though he doesn’t qualify as a halchik decisor, in my opinion – more like an inspirational speaker.

• i don-t think so

  ch resident,“people” should decide what medicine to take? first of all that is directly against what the rebbe said.this great distrust of medical doctors,who have years and years of schooling and training, that so many have is quite foolish and smacks of yaishus-i know better.BH,you didn’t need those pain meds but would you decide if you needed insulinor heart meds are your own?

• ESTHER

  Ok, Ok…
  Alternative Medicine is not like taking vitamins…

  Alternative Medicine is like taking Homeopathic/HomeoPATHETIC drops.. that Abraham Lincoln described “as thin as the homeopathic soup that was made by boiling the shadow of a pigeon that had starved to death”, energy healing, twirling around a crystal pendulum like you do with kaporas, dowsing/muscle testing, and so on!

  Wake up Yidden!!
  What happened to “Ein OId Milvado” – a ladel of faith= believing that Hashem loves you and that He is running the show… and tons of trust in Hashem, feeling safe and secure in the Ribbono Shel Olam’s arms!

  Conventional Medicine+Vitamins+Therapy, if needed and talking to Hashem like a little child is talking to His Father, works!!

  When you plant Hope, Faith & Trust, Miracles will iy”H blossom!!!
  We lost six million Yiden! They passed away al Kiddush Hashem!!
  It’s up to us to LIVE AL KIDDUSH HASHEM!!!

  DO THE POSSIBLE AND LEAVE HASHEM WITH THE IMPOSSIBLE!
  THINK GOOD AND IT WILL BE GOOD!

  LOVE, CHAZAK, MECHAYIL EL CHAYIL

• RaBonnim?

  Ra Bonnim!

• moshe

  to number 12.
  you are misrepresenting the Rebbe. The Rebbe’s usual response (if i am correct) was: to “”ask a Dr who is a friend“. If it’s all about the schooling then why must he be a friend? Maybe the Rebbe also saw the abuse going on in the medical world when it came to drugs and therefore suggested the person be a friend so he really cares about you. Dr’s are great life saving people, no one disagrees but they are suffering the mistrust of a populace that has seen MANY in their field abuse drugs for profit. trivializing peoples concern of Dr’s abuses as ”yeshus” is insulting

• Tumah energy

  Its true.

  You never know exactly what kind of tumah was “blessed” into your little dropper bottle. Homeopothy is all about energy, and it works because that energy is real. Yes the spiritual healer was michaven all sorts of kavoneis and Sheimes but not all of these angels of healing come from sources of kedusha. You can see this if you read books on alternative medicine.

  From a halacha there are a few issues:

  1) I saw a tshuva recentl (forgot where) about “minirals” in which it is allowed so long as the paitent understands that hashem heals, not the minerals. Many stuff out there are worshiped by their followers whether they realize it or not. It takes over thier lifestyle, they begin preaching to their family frinds and neighbors to begin filling their homes with dropper bottles and their new getchke’s…

  2)Nigeeah. Many practitioners are women and many of the practices involve the use of hands for the purposes of “energy alighnment.” Poeple think if its a doctor and its medicine its fine, but its not fine.

  From a kabbala view there are also issues:

  If you research any treatment long enough, you will find plenty of talk of “spirits” among its practitioners and authers. Just as the “Oiv” and “Yidonei”: the person who makes the tincture calls upon these interesting healing spirits (angles? deamons?) to come down into the bottle

  if you do take these energy stuff, at least have some serious kavana when you make your bracha….

• i don-t think so

  please don’t try to guess what the rebbe might have been thinking,especially on a public forum. MANY doctors,really? concern is clearly not the same thing as thinking you know more/better then the sum of western medicine.unfortunately this foolish belief is quite popular along with other conspiracy theiories and is just plain dangerous.

• Emess l-amito

  First of all, these Rabbi’s are ruling for their kehila.
  Ase lecha Rav, “make for yourself a Rav” means: make one, and rely on his ruling for you. Point being, unless your Rav accepts and implements this psak for his kehila (you), you needn’t feel it imposed on you.

  What is “alternative” medicine?
  Alternative medicine is the practice of ANY medicine that is not ‘conventional“.

  What is ”conventional“ medicine?
  Conventional medicine is the practice of medicine that is most commonly used. In countries with government control over what can be taught in medical schools and practiced by doctors, this field of medicine is most often that which the government ‘approves’. (It’s noteworthy to mention: Doctor’s are sworn to protect the health of their patients, while no one in the FDA is sworn to anything!)

  What is Natural medicine?
  Natural medicine is the use of natural remedies in the practice of medicine. (e.g. using herbal tea to dissolve kidney stones and/or prevent kidney failure vis a vis surgery/laser/(life-long) dialysis, or using cranberry juice to heal bladder infection, vis a vis life-long medication).
  There are natural cures for ALL ailments. (refuah kodem hamachlah). Natural methods are NOT approved by the FDA, regardless of their historical use or being much safer, and because of THIS ONE FACT, it is not what is above considered ‘conventional’ as medical schools and most doctors practice only methods approved by the FDA.

  The truth is natural medicine is ”Medicine“, and the medicine we ‘call’ ”conventional“ is actually ”ALTERNATIVE (dangerous)“ medicine, and by our own standards of safety, should not even be called medicine in many instances due to the extent of failure in comparison to healthier natural methods.

  The doctors (AND the FDA) get the information about medicines that they base their practices on, from PCs (pharmaceutical companies). PCs have a conflict of interest considering they are in business solely to profit for shareholders, and are not even under oath (as a doctor is) to protect the well-being of those affected by their ”care“. It has actually been proven that PCs have a culture of deceit, slanting studies in their favor, withholding negative results, marketing fatal drugs, intentionally contributing to the accidental death of multitudes of medical patients, all in full knowledge, pursuing only profit. PCs also bribe doctors to publish in MD journals the PCs own ”research“ as if it were the opinion of a ‘leading doctor’. Last but not least, PCs are VERY familiar with the study of natural medicine, yet undermine such TRUE PROVEN medicine and instead peddle their twisted wizardry as actual medicine!

  All who worship the zombie’s that come out of medical school, and listen to what they >>>PARROT<<< as if these doctors have done comparative research, or anything more than accepting what they read in some publication as ‘accepted medical knowledge’ (often by the PCs shadow-writers) need to reconsider where they put their trust.

  And to the doctor’s who think for a moment to challenge anything herein, do know:
  I realize I am exposing the foundation of LIES on which much of your profession is built, and this leaves you standing there exposed, and that your first instinct is to say anything to defend your profession so you can surround yourself in false pride and ego again, but let it be known, unlike you I have no ulterior motives, but only the best interests of every fellow person, and everything I accept as truth I do so because unlike you, I seek out comparative research, to know for myself which of the many ”methods” to treat ailments is actually most in harmony with a persons health! such an approach is actually NOT implemented by your profession, but rather you simply accept the information given to you by PCs.

  I challenge doctors to join together to form a co-op through which they can independently research and study claims of all medicines and practices to determine for themselves AS THEY SHOULD that the medicine they practice today is primitive, and that the medicine we no longer practice is healthier.
  For you doctors are the ONLY one’s sworn to protect our health, yet none of you take on your most important responsibility.

  Yeshus?! Emess!

• Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof

  First, I have been on a diet of about every drug ever invented and have sought out about every alternative treatment in existence short of Sweat Loges in an island on the pacific.

  To 18, and all the rest of us in search of magic, find me a single alternative medicine practitioner who is not a ganev. Find me a single alternative medicine which is not a placebo.

  Okay I admit to exaggeration, but the world of kishuf practitioners is full full full of phonies. It’s difficult to identify a quack since he sincerely believes in his treatment just as much as he wants you to believe in it. But he still scams the public by selling his holy water from the bathhouses of Mea Sheorim.

  Now take the FDA and AMA. Yes their man made chemicals are mostly cancer inducing if not stroke inducing and yes MD’s are robot technicians who were programmed to follow protocols written to prevent malpractice liability and to increase profits of the pharmaceutical empire. BUT find me an MD, despite his infinite wisdom, who is a ganev. Find me a drug which is sugar.

  The FDA has one advantage over the black market: it doesn’t allow any john putz and harry to hang up a sign on their lawn advertising their altruistic intentions to the public. It’s regulated. But if you are an official member of The Black Market, nobody can stop you from claiming to be a hypnotist, psychic, herb specialist or homeopothist. In other words its a free for all with zero regulation and zero standards.

• i don-t think so

  ladies and gentlemen,if you wanted an example of conspiracy theorists,read #18. doctors are not Hashem and are fallible.some are in it for the wrong reasons but all in all we enjoy greater health and longevity as a society, with normative western medical practices, medicine and care then at any other time in history.

• Shmu

  Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz gives a very clear explanation on which forms of medicine are Halachically accepted and what the process is for becoming accepted.

  http://www.simpletoremember…

• moshe

  to number 17 (12) I mistakenly wrote the abuse of dr’s in drugs and meant the abuse bichlal. When the rebbe said a Dr who is a friend means that the Rebbe wanted concern beyond just “western medicine”. No doubt that the “conspiracy” can be dangerous, but thats what happens when there is over drugging in the medical world. Dr’s need to address this issue internally to restore the worlds confidence in western medicine. i only bring up the rebbe on a public forum because poster number 12 said that a distrust of the over medication in the world is somehow against the Rebbe’s shita of blind faith in Dr’s and western medicine. the rebbe said the Dr should be a friend, nothing about blind faith (agav The rebbe also often told people to get a second opinion….)

• the source

  if you read about what (isn’t) in these homeopatic remedies, you will realise that many of them are so diluted that there is not even 1 remaining molecule of the original substance. It’s all in the “energy”. Go ask Rabbi Groner what the Rebbe responded when a “natural healer” wanted to heal him.
  If the Rebbe himself considered many of these so called practitioners to derive their healing powers from klipah, why do you think they are all ok?

• Why not be specific????????

  There are so many types of holistic medice to put a blanket ban on all of them is not right. It should be stated clearly which ones are problematic because the vast majority definatly are not.

• i don-t think so

  oh my,your totally misquoting me to suit your own agenda. i see we can’t have an honest discussino on this topic.i just hope you are unable to mislead others.

• CH Resident

  #15; thanks for backing me up. Agreed.

  #12; When I wrote that I insinuated a mistrust for doctors, I didn’t mean that I assume they are devious. I just meant that you should be active in your own treatment and not a mere zombie. Meaning, if you get prescribed a medication, ask the doctor, “Is it needed for my wellbeing, or just to alleviate pain”? If you are ill and require treatment, of course you should consider taking medication, but I also would ponder if there are alternatives. Why do you think medications have warning labels many lines long of all ‘side effects’? If medication could be avoided, it should, though I agree with the example of high cholesterol meds that usually the patient doesn’t have a choice and needs to take the drug, but the better option is the natural drug; to lose weight!!

  #20; If people never conspired, the word conspiracy would never be in the websters dictionary. Have you ever heard of identity theft? There are thousands, perhaps millions, of people worldwide who CONSPIRE day and night to steals identities. Am I a kooky conspiracy theorist or perhaps a realist who knows that there are many people who absolutely conspire. Sadly, in the medical profession as well. There is a great documentary film out there called “the Movie – Cancer Is Serious Business”, it sells on Amazon for $15 and is rated 5 out of 5 stars by the 60 people who wrote reviews. You can actually view it for free on youtube.

  http://www.youtube.com/watc…