by Matt Boyce
After our lecture from traditional
medicine experts Dr. Boyd and Dr. Stanifer last Thursday there were two points
that really resonated with me:
(1) That traditional medicine
places a special emphasis on the difference between being cured and being ill.
(2) That traditional medicine
should be viewed as a tool in a multi-disciplinary health arsenal, not an
alternative to modern medicine.
Keeping these things in mind, it
seems, to me at least, that there is a very clear and practical role for
traditional medicine in current treatment practices. And after spending some
time trying to wrap my head around an example of where I saw an application of
traditional medicine in this way, I finally settled on a current event...
Does the name Martin Shkreli ring
any bells? Yes, of course it does. Just last month he raised the price of
Daraprim, a 62 year old medication commonly used to treat parasitic infections
in immunocomprimised patients, from $13.50 a pill to $750 a pill. And in doing
so became the Scrooge of the pharmaceutical industry by hoarding wealth and
exploiting the poor, drawing condemnation of humanitarians, politicians, and
pretty much anyone with a moral compass and internet access.
Meanwhile, another pharmaceutical
competitor has stepped up to challenge him, announcing that it will now offer a
version of Daraprim for as little as $1 per tablet. But what if there were
other alternatives? Enter traditional medicine.
Ok, before I lose you, I do
recognize that’s a bit dramatic. I’m not about to argue that traditional
medicine should replace a highly effective drug. The development of modern
medicine, that is the development of antibiotics and vaccines, is one of the
most important scientific developments ever. However, I do feel that
“Traditional Medicine: Novel Treatment for AIDS and Cancer Patients” would make
one hell of a newspaper headline, and that there is a place for traditional
medicine in our current Daraprim predicament.
Let’s begin with focusing on
turmeric, one of the first few examples of traditional medicine that was
presented to us. As alluded to in our lecture, turmeric may be one of the most
beneficial spices in the world, owing largely to the fact that it contains a compound
called curcumin. Curcumin has many health benefits, including promoting brain
function, protecting against depression, and delaying aging (all of which I
hope we can all agree would promote a “sense of overall wellness”). But quite
possibly the most important benefit is it’s potent natural anti-inflammatory
attributes. While acute inflammation is great and all, as it helps fight
pathogens and helps repairs damage, chronic inflammation has been shown to be
really bad for our bodies. So bad that some researchers believe it may play a
role in heart
disease, cancer, metabolic diseases, and a
handful of other chronic, Western diseases. As such, any compound that can
suppress chronic inflammation, including turmeric, may be viewed as a potential
therapy or even prevention of disease, which also happens to be what cancer
researchers have to say about the spice.
To shift our attention to another
example of traditional medicine, let’s focus on mushrooms. Mushrooms,
especially shitake and button varieties, are excellent sources of vitamin D.
And why exactly is consuming vitamin D so great? Because while our bodies naturally
produce it when exposed to sunlight, many of us are still deficient in vitamin
D levels. This could pose a problem, or at least warrant concern, as vitamin D
has been shown to help prevent chronic illness, and also helps regulate
cellular growth, reduce systemic inflammation, and fight a whole slew of infectious diseases.
The micronutrient’s therapeutic
properties have long been recognized, and some recent studies even go as far as
to allude to antibiotic
like properties being associated with it. In fact, in the pre-antibiotic era,
physicians realized that both sun exposure and cod oil could play a protective
and therapeutic role against TB. And while the two treatments have their
obvious differences they have one thing in common: active forms of vitamin D.
So I’ll propose the following question: is it really that far of a stretch of
the imagination to think that vitamin D could also help prevent or treat
illness in these immunocompromised individuals?
While I personally do not believe
that making sure to eat mushrooms sprinkled with turmeric is remotely close to
a means to replace treatment by Daraprim in these patients, I don’t think it
could hurt to at least acknowledge the health benefits that may be achieved by
incorporating these traditional medicinal foods into their diets. Especially if
we put the time and resources into understanding the metabolic pathways that
underlie their therapeutic properties.
So, to offer a brief summary of
what we’ve covered here: We first established that Shkreli is a goon who has
put a lot of people in a bad situation. Next, tumeric, in addition to promoting
a general sense of wellness may play a role in decreasing the risk of disease
and decreasing the risk or progression of cancer, one of the immunocompromised
populations that frequently uses Daraprim. We followed that up by covering that
mushrooms containing vitamin D could act as a potential therapy to counter
infection, much as Daraprim is used as a therapy to counter parasitic
infection. Ultimately, combine the two (in the albeit oversimplified scenario I
just presented) and you get a one-two punch that could compliment other
therapies, or help fill the gaps left by the actions of Shkreli.
