Who thinks this is a good reason to be critical of conventional medicine?

[Alex F]

I recently finished reading this;
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB120934207044648511.html?mod=2_1566_topbox
and I think a lot of specific parts in it (especially the second half) highlight why people are so sick with the modern medical system.

"M.D. Anderson viewed Mrs. Kelly as uninsured and told her she could get an appointment only if she brought a certified check for $45,000......Mr. Kelly arranged to borrow the money from his father's trust, which was in probate proceedings.....But the hospital demanded an additional $60,000 on the spot. It told her the $45,000 had paid for the lab tests, and it needed the additional cash as a down payment for her actual treatment."

The saddest thing in my eyes is that allopaths go after alternative medicine for price gouging (esp cancer) patients, despite the fact I continually see the alternative methods get significantly better results for 1/10th-1/100th of the cost of conventional treatments.

Anyhow, I'd like your opinions on this!

[SkepDoc 2.0]

This isn't a critique of conventional medicine, it is an example with what is wrong with the American medical system where 40 million people don't have health insurance.

There is not a single alternative treatment that gets "significantly better results" . Show me a single high quality study.

I've also yet to hear of an altmed practitioner offering their dubious services for free.

[lightning]

Good question,
I do think a lot of the time Allopaths slag of Alternative medicine is because they want to protect their markets...
....Yet they complain they are so busy all the time?

I'd like to see all cancer treatments, including allopathic independantly tested on a level playing field (Not necessarily using the reductionist medical model) and the results published.

I'm sure allopathy has a lot to offer but i also think someone else should be allowed to have a go where the results are less favourable.
You never know they may actually be able to do something better which Allopaths could use in their practice.

[Wild Bill SD]

I'm not willing to condemn all doctors/hospitals but in general the "system" rivals politics for being a steaming pile of you know what. I'm not big on conspiracy theories but I do believe the medicos intentionally downplay, even discredit, alternative modalities as a result of greed and ego.