Hello, hello, hello and welcome to the new episode of the BigAppleSchool podcast, the bi weekly English show where we speak about everything under the sun. The major goal of the show is to help you with your listening skills and of course learn something new. My name's Katya. I'm your host. And today with me...
So, guys. Long time no see. How are you doing?
Oh, great. Spring's almost here.
Everything's grey and brown out there. And I'm wishing for a little blade of grass to walk.
Soon. Soon. Soon we're going to see it. But have you heard the birds?
They're busy. I can't wait for the flowers. For the grass. Oh, soon. Soon, soon, soon. And what about you guys?
Yeah, we are also waiting. I am personally.
Have you got any news? What's up? What's new? What's shaking?
Nothing much so that I could share it in the podcast. Everything's the same. Yeah.
Okay. Yeah. All right. Ohhh, boring.
Ask our students. So, what's going on? And they're just like, Okay, Don't you have anything exciting to say? No.
No. Same old, same things.
Yeah. When you ask them, how are you, they always say, fine.
And you can like, I banned you from saying these words. Fine. Think about something different.
Yeah. You know, I remember watching a TV show and their dad said, fine doesn't mean fine. The scale goes — Great. Okay. I hate you. Fine. Yeah. Okay, well, then let's then move on to the topic of our today's episode. So we are going to talk about medicine and, well, conventional medicine and alternative medicine. We actually have had an episode, as far as I remember, regarding some of the aspects of alternative medicine. So if you're interested, you can check that out. That was, I think, a couple of years ago. So but that was different people, different topic, everything was different. So let's talk about that today with you guys. So first of all, what forms of alternative medicine, medicine do you know? Just so we kind of define it, what is it?
Hypnosis, for example. I don't know. It comes to my mind like the most alternative thing, and I really don't know if it is something that really works or some kind of fake and fraud or anything, because really, I don't know. But I know some people who tried hypnosis.
Well, that reminds me of like, dream analysis then.You could go to a psychologist or something.
You know what's interesting, though, because they're so close, but dream analysis would be considered conventional medicine, whereas hypnosis is alternative. Where is the lying?
And by the way, I don't know if it is really alternative because only psychiatrists can do hypnosis. It's not like you come to any charlatan. It should be a doctor.
I'm not sure it's psychiatrists. I think it's psychologists.
No, it's a therapist. Like real doctor.
Right. In America, I think anyone can do it. Yes, I could do it.
And I read a book about hypnosis by a psychologist. He was not a psychiatrist. He was just a psychologist who performed hypnosis on his clients. I can't say patients.
Red room. You're going to sleep and you don't remember anything after all.
That's interesting. That's interesting, though. What exactly can come to mind while you're under hypnosis? Do you believe in it in general? I mean, Masha is in between minds.
I think it can reveal something from your what? Unconsciousness or subconsciousness? Of course. But I mean, how do you deal with this afterwards, after you wake up? I just don't know how it works. What the therapist does with it, because okay, you reveal some past trauma and then you need to somehow deal with it. You need to treat it. So I just don't know how it works, but... Well, it's interesting, but I think that you should trust a person a lot to undergo hypnosis. I just don't know who I could let do this.
A professional, at least.
I mean, maybe even the professional professional.
And that scene is kind of comedic. You're just laying down on the couch and everything and just you're going to get into a deep sleep and tell me about your childhood.
Well, at best, it's just relaxation.
But all right. The level of relaxation...
I think, sort of thing like with the with the pendulum is something that's more about...
Drooling and everything. It doesn't work and everything. And you just... Yeah. Kind of disappointment at the end of it.
I heard that it's no longer with the pendulum or anything. You just listen to the voice. You try to, like, meditate.
Yeah, count words or something.
You reach the same state as you do in meditation.
That's what I say. At best. You're just relaxing, like yoga class or something.
Yeah, Yeah. But I have recently heard about another type of hypnosis. I'm not sure whether it's whether it can be called alternative medicine, because I don't think it's medicine in the first place. So it's when a psychologist, they're also called regressologists, I think. So when they take you into the state of hypnosis or some sort of deep meditation and they ask you questions about your previous lives.
And then they kind of analyse it, you know, in connection with your current life and so on.
I have a friend who actually underwent this thing. Yeah.
She said that she probably understood her relationship with her mom better now after this session. Well, I don't know. And she, she kind of... Yeah. She reached some point at her pre-life and she was someone else. She was a man in some other time. Well, I really don't know if it is just a fantasy.
How did they find out that that she was a man?
Because you can see yourself apparently in this state of hypnosis, you can see who you were.
Well, sometimes in our dreams.
Are you sure drugs not involved in that? So it's only hypnosis.
It's just made up. I don't know.
I think it's just imagination and fantasy, because in my imagination, I can be, well, a cat. I can be a Maine Coon. And why not? Maybe it was my past life.
That must've been a great life, though, you know. You know what? I believe that whatever helps, you know, if that helps you to deal with the current problem or something.
And that is that is the belief in the importance of believing in a myth, whatever it is, if it's a religion or some kind of fantasy, just so that you can understand your purpose or meaning for Earth, because if you don't have your little myth going on, your own little world. What's the reason for being here? So that the importance of myth. So just...
People need something to believe in.
Yeah, if you believe in aliens coming down. If it helps you, what does it who does it harm?
It can harm. I mean, alternative medicine can harm because it distracts you from real treatment sometimes. And while you spend your time and money doing this stuff, well, this is can really progress. This is the most important thing I think.
This is one of the disadvantages of that and the dangers of it.
Because sometimes it can help. I mean, not hypnosis, but we started to make a list of alternative medicine treatments yeah, and we can think of what? Herbal treatments and acupuncture and maybe what else. Homeopathy, right? Some of these things can really relieve your pain or help you with some minor symptoms or... But, you know, I came to this idea that if you believe in alternative medicine, then you need to change probably your whole lifestyle. For example, you believe in Chinese medicine, right? Okay. Herbal things. And I don't know what they use. Maybe some roots or whatever. Then you need to change your way of eating. Your like what sport you do and you need to become...
Fully, not just take some Chinese pills that they give you, but change it.
So you can't just take basically one herbal drink and believe that it's going to fix all your problems. You need to go deeper than that.
I agree with that. And actually we call it preventive medicine. You do these things to change your lifestyle to prevent injury or some, you know, stressful. The stress that really affects your body, that can really create a lot of problems.
Mm hmm. Yeah. Because you can't continue eating junk food and sitting all day at the desk and just take this Chinese expensive pills and then say, Oh, this doesn't work. It could possibly work if you changed like everything, and if you went to the mountains and live there peacefully and so on.
That's why people like chiropractors and acupuncturists and the sewers or masseuses.
Oh this is such a strange word. Sorry.
Yes. You have to differentiate between men and women. But when you go to these people, just like what Masha was saying, is that these people ask you about what's going on in your life so they can address the emotional problems or the psychological problems. Because it's not just physical, because the physical... The body just doesn't lie.
It's interesting you mentioned chiropractors. So is that also considered alternative medicine?
They crack your bones and..
They don't like to use the word crack. It's called adjustment.
Adjustment. Joint adjustment.
Yeah. Because things get out of place and they do it even for animals.
Is it.. oh, I've seen some videos. Oh, my God, I love those videos. When animal is like first, you know the look of shock and they're like, Oh yeah, Is it the same as osteopathy?
I don't know what that is. Yeah, it has something to do with...
Osteopath... Because I saw that like the osteopath, they kind of move the bones. So I was wondering...
It sounds like chiropractics. Yeah, that's..
I think it's just an English and English word, an English term to what we call остеопат.
Oh my God... Different because I once I saw that is this chiropractic like no, that's different. How is it different?
But it's not just the spine. Yeah, you start with the spine.
Of course it's the legs or whatever needs adjustment.
Yes. Adjustments. Yeah. Okay. There's a relief after it's done. You're just like. Oh, my goodness. Oh, I can't believe I was living you know...
Yeah, Yeah. And it's also can be very emotional too. There are certain things connected in your neck. And then when this chiropractor adjusts something with your head that goes very extreme is like, Oh my God.
Can it be painful during the session?
And you know what... Afterwards, sometimes it's painful because your body has kind of shifted around. Yeah.
Oh, and they're also using kind of hammers and everything like..
No, my chiropractor never used hammers. Oh, or hammers and nails on me.
Nails. Nobody said anything about nails.
Hammers yeah, I saw a couple of videos like they hammer all the joints and everything like crack.
I have a feeling that's a bit too extreme or too strong.
I don't know. There's different tensions because my chiropractor was married to a chiropractor and she was more gentle. But I preferred him because he was just like, I really needed something extreme and I really love going to him for a long time, but it just felt so much. It's something that you have to go, just like you were saying before, not just one time. You have to change your lifestyle and do it on a regular basis.
Do you think that sometimes alternative medicine kind of shifts and becomes a part of conventional medicine? Because you've mentioned massage. And I think...
Some doctors suggest that, all right, if you do this medication, use this medication for six months or gel, cream, whatever is that. So you can keep up your treatment with the massage or whatever.
Oh, it could also go the other way because my acupuncturist would be able to work with patients who are, let's say, on cancer medication. So that's why they always ask your background, see if someone has some disease and you could use that as an alternative, something that is compatible with Western medicine.
Okay. Okay. Some people seek, like, kind of solution, like. And you're all right, your terminal stage, stage three lung cancer. And you just stop your medication or your treatment with your doctor, and you just do some alternative medication. Do you think it's kind of okay?
I think it's just comforting.
It's people... So, see, people have... People want to have hope.
Whatever that gives them this hope.
You mean stage three. It's not the terminal stage, right?
Well, when doctors I mean Western doctors still have hope. I think it's better to do this traditional thing approach.
Yeah, it's more about. It's kind of sad when you see people who deny conventional medicine. They say, I will not undergo the chemo, I will not undergo radiation or whatever.
Chemotherapy or whatever.
I will only do that with the help of alternative medicine. And then it gets worse.
Yeah. What is the success rate of it? Compared with the conventional one.
I don't want to say none, but...
But yes none to little. Little to none.
Statistically, you know, when it comes to such diseases. Yeah.
That kind of reminds me of a religion. Have you ever heard of Christian science? It's a religion that started in the..
No, no, no. It's a very different from scientology. So Christian science was started by Mary Baker Eddy in the late, I guess, 1800s. And it's works on the premise that humans man women are made in the image of God. God is perfect, therefore humans are perfect and therefore nothing is wrong with us. And so you go to practitioners and they remind you of how perfect you're in the image of God. And they do deny going to doctors.
Well, I kind of thought that scientologists do that.
I don't know. Scientology is crazy-crazy. Christian science at least has some...
It's like, yeah, 10% crazy. The Scientology is like crazier...
Scientology does not tell you to really not go to doctors or other things. I don't know. I've experienced a little bit of L.A. Scientology, but Christian science, I'm just talking about religion with God. I think Scientology doesn't really believe in a God.
Christian science. I think I've heard about that. I just confused that with scientology. So they also believe that if you pray, you'll be able to get better. And if you don't...
It's not praying. I think it's about believing in your body that your body will heal itself like this.
The immune system and everything.
No, it doesn't... Christian science doesn't talk about the the body specifically. It talks about the fact that you are the image of God, therefore you are perfect. And you... There's whatever's wrong with you is in your mind.
As in what is seeing God.
It doesn't have something to do with your immune system.
So you go to practitioners and they remind you that you are the perfect image of God. And of course you can go to dentists and things of emergencies, but things like colds and things, or if there's some kind of, you know, problem where you really should have an operation, they still might deny. I mean, there have been articles that you could read in the newspaper where children have been denied...
Broken bones. What about this?
Yeah, they do believe that they should be set.
Does it apply on also dentistry or whatever?
Yeah, that's okay. But just, you know...
It's like if your body is really broken physically, then we can fix it because you will be more similar to God.
Yeah, yeah. It's just none of it's logical, but it's just...
If you resemble God why you get hurt at the first place?
Well, that that's a good question.
That's another question. It's about religion.
Let's go to church and just discuss this.
I should have prepared for this dispute.
And what can you say about homeopathy? Like, how would you define that? What is that? What's your attitude? It's kind of...
It's like everything is treatment and everything is poison. Yeah, depending on the dosage. And in homeopathy, they use like really, really, really tiny dosage of something. So tiny that you can't even actually find it.
Like microdosing? Of what?
Less than micro... Of some poisonous substances or good substances. It depends on the illness as far as I know. Yeah. And once I...
I don't know how they know that what the dose that you need to take.
So you know usually it's like microgram or something.
Okay that what I was trying to say.
Whatever that is you know.
Okay micrograms right. 120 micrograms.
Mostly it's just small pills of sugar that you eat.
Yeah, I was just about to. Yeah.
Really powerful tool, I think. Well, because it really helps. It has to do maybe with our mhm.... Well not mentality but with our mind. And sometimes if we really believe that something helps it helps and the symptoms can not maybe disappear but can be released. Yeah. And it's really helps.
Not homeopathy but.. placebo.
Well I remember they have been conducting, you know, some experiments on placebo effect and they were having separate groups. So a control group, people who were getting the medication, people who were getting the fake medication, and then they saw, you know, the statistics and so on. And very often it depended on the person, you know, as they say, if a person believes they can get treated, they will get treated because in general, they say that positive attitude to your disease.
So, yeah, a mindset matters a lot. Because when a person, let's say, gets... I do not know, cancer and they say, oh, I'm that's it. Like I'm not going to.
Oh yeah. So they're hopeless. They are not going to get better because of the mindset. But if they have a mindset like, okay, there is a chance I'm going to use this chance, I'm going to get better. There is a high chance they are going to get better unless it's a terminal stage because... Well, let's be. Yeah.
Okay. So that reminds me of music therapy. Have you ever heard of Alzheimer's patients being given some kind of music that maybe they used to listen to and they were, you know, a little girl or something and they have this...
And like it reminds them of the time when they were sane and right. And they really become...
There's one in particular, you can find it on YouTube of some old ballerina who danced Swan Lake and she was in Alzheimer condition and they put on Swan Lake and she could move her arms and she could remember all of her steps.
Well, but only temporary.
Only for the time when music sounds.
Once the music is off. Right. Exactly. Music therapy. And it places with what you were saying about being hopeful, when you just listen to music, it can uplift your spirit. It can buoy you and make you feel better.
That's true. That's true. I haven't heard much about it, but I do remember reading about that case, about the ballerina that you mentioned. Yeah. And she started I think I watched the video when she started, you know, moving the hands and the legs just as she would when she was dancing. Yeah, that's true. That's true. So what do you see as pros and cons of alternative medicine?
Cheaper than traditional.
Not always I guess. Depending. If people go to their, uh, um, well, maybe Chinese doctor or other doctor for many years, they can spend lots of money.
Okay, so the con really is like a con. Where they would charge you either for medication if it's, uh, what we call Western medicine or some kind of other con where they are not really telling you the truth about things and just leading you on. So that's definitely a disadvantage.
Are they experimenting on you, is it trail or whatever.
They know it doesn't work, they just want the money.
But I mean, talking about the money, let's remember how expensive medical care is in the US, you know. So I guess that a lot of people turn to alternative medicine just... Because they can't afford the western one, because sometimes it's thousands and thousands and thousands.
Well, the alternative medicine, like Masha was saying about changing your lifestyle, maybe they have no choice. Like, okay, let me get rid of all this stuff and just go to yoga class or something.
Interesting you would consider yoga as alternative medicine.
Actually, I've never been to a yoga class, but I think it would be. I mean, it's certainly, you know, keeps your body, you know, lifted and different postures and just calm yourself down. And I've heard people who love their yoga class.
Oh, yeah, I know a lot of people who love it.
All right. Let's think about you have a kidney disorder and you started yoga and it dissapears or what?
Well, no, but definitely that the idea of changing your hopelessness to hope, that feeling of just being able to confront the challenges ahead.
But at the end of the day, you have still a kidney stone.
Right. But you're talking about extreme things. Like all I'm saying is like the lifestyle of keeping yourself feeling good can contribute to taking care of a kidney stone.
Maybe some posters can help the stone to go.
You know, you can go to both doctors. You've got a kidney stone, go to a doctor.
But we are talking about alternative medicine. So that's why.
I didn't make myself clear. You can use both at the same time. Yeah.
First doctor in the morning and afternoon you have a yoga class and smoothie.
Yeah go to yoga class in the morning and the regulars...
That works yeah. You convinced me. Thank you so much. Right.
Because, you know, if doctors are so expensive, then you feel desperate. So go to a yoga class. Not to feel desperate. To feel hopeful.
Well, actually, you've mentioned what have you just mentioned? I wanted to point that out.
Money? That it is expensive. It could be. Yeah.
I have a memory span of a goldfish. Oh, my God. I had this idea right there in my head.
Yeah. Interrupted. Well also I had previously mentioned that, like, people can be just wasting their time doing only alternative medicine things, and this can be the most dangerous part of this if they don't address a doctor.
Yes, I like going to these sanitariums, sanitariums, whatever you call them here, we don't call them that. So it's kind of a new word.
I remember once having a conversation in the U.S. and I was talking about my childhood experience, and I said, sanitarium.
Oh my God, I'm sorry. No, this is not her...But this is... In this case, you know, we have these places for preventative measures, you know, because you kind of you relax there. You know, it's not for treatment very often it's more about preventing.
Yeah, but I still also agree with Masha that you don't go to these alternative medicines when the Western medicine needs to really be.. It needs to be addressed with the Western medicine. Yeah, that's why I say both.
So combination works best.
And maybe alternative medicine is more about preventing while Western medicine is more about treating symptoms releasing symptoms of some disease. And probably then when you don't have this how we call it... Like emergency situation. Yes, when it is released, when you don't have symptoms, maybe then you need to change your whole lifestyle. If you have this risk, let's say, of heart disease, then you can do, I don't know, special yoga for people with this risk or special herbal things. Well, I really don't know what can be like in...
Haemorrhoids, yeah let's go to yoga.
Who knows? Maybe there is a special form of yoga for this.
As my acupuncturist would explain, he said that acupuncture can strengthen your body so that you can handle these very strong medications, these cancer medications, because they can really wipe you out. Yeah. This is all about strengthening.
Acupuncture is the needles.
Yeah. Yeah. You know, the acupuncture works on the premise that there are like something like 12 or 9 meridians that flow through your body, like little freeways, highways.
Pressure points, you know.
Well before that, these energy things go through your body. And if there's a problem, there's a blockage. And so this is where you have to release this this place, like what you said, pressure points or needle points and you get needle stuck where anywhere in your body or head or ears or anywhere, just...
A little headball. So we haven't mentioned one more type of alternative medicine that Ugur has mentioned before the podcast, which is cupping.
Is that... So I guess we still consider that alternative medicine or do we not? Is it a part of conventional?
Could you please explain it to me?
Yeah. Imagine little jars on your back.
Oh, there is a special term for it?
Yes. Cupping or suction treatment.
They used to use the leeches for sucking the bad blood out of your body. It's kind of a similar.
Not the bad blood. They're just...
All right. No, no, no, no. All right, all right. We're square right now, not that one. Yeah.
Okay. Although I was always laughing, you know, How do leeches know which is the bad blood?
Yeah it all tastes good to them.
Ray does. Here the bad blood. So yeah, but cupping, though, what does, what do people use that for? Like, is it because when I saw all of that, my mom recently got the cupping and I kind of thought that this for like the back pain.
Back pain and lumbar pain, your spine pain. So I did that after my accident as a part of my physiotherapy and it was kind of a nice...
No, but you feel the pressure and the suction, so it's kind of alright.
Isn't it's an ancient...?
Yeah. Cause I know my acupuncturist did that.
But I have to see the bruises after....
Welts, maybe welts like maybe a, uh, swelling, so...
Not swelling, but you have a, yeah, you have a rash after that and then the bruising and it's kind of an itchy, Yeah, like a two days or something. But you feel alright. Your posture is kind of right. Yeah. All right. I'm an Iron Man kind of thing. That's cool.
You know, as a person who sometimes has some sort of back issues. Well, because we're sitting at our computer sitting like prawns, you know, like that. I understand that very often when it comes to back pain. Actually, alternative medicine is proposed much more often than the conventional medicine.
Like surgery. Right. That's extreme.
That is the end of the line.
Don't even know if surgery. Oh, I didn't know the surgery.
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. If, if I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's so extreme.
Western medicine will say, yeah, you need surgery. And before that, really, you need to try it.
What about physiotherapy? Is it conventional or alternative?
Yeah. This sounds like sports medicine.
Sports kind of... Yeah. Yeah. Alternative we can say, right?
Yeah, but they use it in hospitals.
Yeah. Yeah. Conventional.
It kind of answers your question.
I think it somewhere in borderline.
Yeah. You posed the question, you know, where is the line? And so now they're getting a little bit more crossed. A little bit.
There are specific machines that they are using on you, but no medicine or no whatever. So you're just trying to just do the things by yourself in a way. I don't know.
I've realised that we should mention one more thing. So I don't know whether that's it's not really acupuncture, but in Russia and back from the Soviet time there was this applicators or applicators as they're called, because in Russian it's иппликатор, it's basically like a mat with a lot of short needly, pointy, plastic spikes and you lie down on it and you can feel those point...
Like Indian bag? Nail bag?
I think it has to do with Indian or Chinese medicine.
But the thing is that it's not like nails, so it's rather they are rather short and they can be made of plastic, they can be made of metal, and you lie down on it and you feel this sort of pressure and it's so good, especially for the back.
For the back of the neck.
And, you know, this sort of place where you have very often we have this little hump, you know.
Well, I think it works because the blood starts circulating better in this parts of your body, which are not usually involved. Because we don't usually move our spine actually in a proper way.
And I remember talking to a doctor and I'm like, oh, you know, I have this like back pain and backache because I said most of the day she's like, Yeah, so you should, you should do. The doctor said, Yoga. As has been mentioned. Or something like, ah, other physical activity, but preferably yoga. Buy this applicator, lie on it like half an hour. It really helps to get the blood, you know, like going and flowing and so on. So what else? And basically all the tips that she said were connected with like yoga or doing such kind of exercises. So I'm like, okay, oh, and massage.
And hydrotherapy. Have you ever heard hydrotherapy? Getting into the tub and..
Or aerobics in the water?
Yeah, like swimming or just moving your body parts and limbs in a way.
I've never tried the hydrotherapy, but it sounds fun.
Yeah, why not? Yeah, it's like a Jacuzzi, as you said.
I've herad of combing. So my acupuncturist would comb. There's a wooden comb, literally a comb and dipped in oil. Oh no, no. They massage oil, hot oil on your back and they comb you.
Yes. Exactly comb strokes.
I'm out of the games I'm sorry.
So I have no idea how that might help, but it's just. I feel like it's nice to the touch. It's nice to feel it.
Wooden and that the fragrance of the oil is just so relaxing and it smells good. You get aromatherapy with that.
It's like mini massage. Yeah.
It's exactly a massage with a comb. Long strokes.
I should get back to my... What's the difference again?
Massesuer is the guy. And the masseuse...
I should go back to my masseuse.
Do we have another word for this? Like, massage therapist or...?
No. Okay. Massage therapist. Exactly.
You don't like this French word, do you?
I like some French words like aubergine, but not this particular word. I really don't know.
Let's go back to the topic of medicine.
I mean, I like entrepreneurs but not the words.
Yeah. Yeah. All right. Okay, let's go.
Well, we I remember we talked about medical care in the U.S. and in Russian in ne of the episodes, but I realised that I know nothing about medical care in Turkey. So in general, can you get like, free medical care?
Free medical care generally, but... All right, it depends. We have the private hospitals. Some private hospitals are specialised for private practice, for example. It's not good to have like in neurosurgical interventions in, in a like a government hospital. So it would be better to just go to private one or like, I don't know, cardiovascular. They're okay to get it into private sector but yeah, all free.
So basically you have some sort of a medical insurance that gives you a chance to do. Okay. All right. Because I remember that episode where we discussed medical care in the U.S. and how you need to have medical insurance. But it's sometimes.
You need to be a millionaire.
Or you go to alternative medicine.
Actually, I think there's one more thing that has recently got more common in the U.S., which is marijuana, because they start to prescribe it for pain relief. Yeah, pain relief for some sort of...
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. So some sort of some things like that. So I guess we can also include that in the list of alternative medicine in some countries, because in Russia, it's very illegal. Very. So don't do that here, please.
We're responsible people. No, we don't do that kind of thing. Yeah, but what about in USA?
Oh, well, as liberal as I am, I'm completely against it. But I it's, it's, I just think if people are just lighting up a doobie, you know, the poor little animals, babies, children get the contacts. So that's kind of where I stand. But I have nothing to do with it. It's not my fight, not my struggle. So I don't really care. Um, I stay out of it.
So we can see that in general, alternative medicine is so widespread in many, many, many forms and shapes. So should governments fund alternative medicine then?
Governments will not do this.
Pharmaceutical companies.
What kind of medicine or alternative medicine we are talking about?
Chiropractor. Acupuncturist. Herbal medicine.
Specialisations. Okay, okay. I just thought about...
I just don't see any reasons why they should do this.
To get the population healthier.
But it's a matter of choice.
Preventive medicine maybe..
So if they prevent illnesses, maybe doctors will go out of business, maybe have something with money.
It always comes down to money.
And the pharmaceutical companies to...
I mean, people will always get sick and the doctors will always be needed.
Yeah, they'll always love to prescribe medicine.
Well, alternative medicine is a very large sphere. It's just hard to control. I mean, Chinese medicine, Indian medicine, whatever medicine, like maybe South African or Australian, I don't know. And the government will not be able to control it. That's why they... They will not.
Uh huh. I think. Well, in China the government controls the herbs and so whatever herbs are sent from China to America for the acupuncturist to use, those are controlled by the Chinese government. And then of course, we have like open borders where things are allowed through. That's all I know about. I'm very limited about that. But that's...
Mm hmm. Maybe it should be, like, maybe reconsidered. And some parts of alternative medicine could be included into conventional medicine. Like, maybe they should have this big, big convention and like discuss all these things.
Well, you know, medication. It has to be passed by law. The FDA. But then there are these are called GMC or whatever, GNC, health food stores, where they carry vitamins and supplements that are not approved. And it says on the bottle, this is not approved, but they're still allowed to be sold.
And they put like a food supplement instead of like a medicine, like a food, something like the vitamins, vitamin D, like B-12 or whatever.
I guess things that are called names I've never heard of. Things that some alternative doctor would have prescribed. But it's not regulated.
Not regulated or not approved.
And you can buy it without any prescription.
Yes. If you look up like I think it's called GNC, it's a widespread health food store.
Solgar like solgar I guess, yeah.
Sell, sell a lot of stuff that.
In Russia we can buy it in a pharmacy.
Yeah, well, I mean, all those additives. Yeah. What did you call them?
Food supplements. Food supplements. Yeah. Yeah. Well, technically, you know, it's interesting, because I used to think that all those vitamins medicine. Yeah, but nowadays they are not. If you look at the package, it says not a medicine. Not medicine. It's food supplement.
But doctors do prescribe it.
Maybe they have an arrangement between the company, and the more you prescribe, the more you get a percentage, maybe.
Because sometimes it happens in Turkey.
Like in the United States, the government would certainly want children to take certain kind of vitamins.
We have our food pyramid, what one should take or what should eat. And of course, vitamin C and all the things.
Yeah, we used to have the same thing. Like everyone used to get like, fish oil at the beginning of the day.
Yeah. The liquid one I used. Yeah.
Oh, there are pills or drops are nice, they're sweet and everything.
They used to be like, actually like the liquid one.
So I remember that now when I was a kid.
Smelly and... Yeah, yeah. Why did you do that?
Yeah. The fish oil and we used to have like beaver fat or something like that.
That sounds like something that happened in the United States way back in the 1800s. We kind of progressed after that.
I'm from Yakutia... and progress takes a long time to get there.
Yes I know. No, no offence.
Oh, like good for the back. Any kind of lard. It's got lard.
Lard. So but yeah, I mean back in the day we didn't used to think of it as medicine or alternative medicine. It was just like thing you do. The same thing. Masha, what is? We usually have this joke like if you have a cut or something, put it in Russian we call it подорожник... Rib, rib grass, rib. I remember, it starts with the rib.
I really don't know the word for it in English, but it is some kind of plant that grows like both sides of the road.
No, no, no, no, no, no. Rhubarb is something you can eat. I think it's called rib grass. It's a type of grass that grows in Russia. And they used to use it for cuts and so on, just to like...
Instead of patching it up, you just put it on...
So now we have a joke, like, whatever is wrong. Just put a rib grass on it.
Well, I've heard of cabbage. Use cabbage leaves.
It is a thing for some issues. So yeah, if you have some inflammation, I think that then cabbage. Cabbage leaves are meant to help.
Yes, That was recommended by a Soviet ballerina to me. Please put a cabbage leaf on your knee. I'm like, Yeah, right, I'm going to do that. Okay. I was just like...
That's that's how, you know, like what the state medical care was... back in the day...
So. Yeah. All righty. Well, guys, thank you so much. We are going to stay here for the aftershow of the podcast where we're going to talk about alternative medicine in our country and our personal experiences. So if you want to, how exactly you can get to the aftershow, make sure to check out Private Telegram chat, which you can find either through the link on our social media or by searching BigAppleChatBot in Telegram search engine. So guys and of course, let us know your opinion and your thoughts about alternative medicine. Have you had any experience with that? What was it like and what is your attitude to that? So thank you so much and stay for the aftershow.
