What Is The Health

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Everyone is talking about the new documentary, What the Health? The film explores and decries the state of modern health care in Japan. The film labels traditional Japanese medicine (JTMs) as quackery and dangerous. While we understand that most people have a knee-jerk reaction to anything that smacks of pseudoscience, this case is different. JTMs are not being openly mocked and ridiculed by mainstream culture; JTMs are being systematically excluded from it. Many of us grew up with these traditions. They shape our culture, language, and cuisine. These ancient healing practices need to be acknowledged for what they are: valuable, life-saving habits that deserve to be preserved for future generations. We do not believe the film has produced evidence supporting its claims against JTTs or other alternative therapies. Many of the assertions made in the movie are blatantly false or misleading — for example: * False statement: Alternative medicines can’t help treat infectious diseases like tuberculosis * False information: Alternative medicines can’t help treat chronic conditions like diabetes * False information: Alternative medicines can’t help prevent cardiovascular disease.

What is the health?

The new documentary film What the Health? Explores and decries the state of modern health care in Japan. The film labels traditional Japanese medicine (JTMs) as quackery and dangerous. While we understand that most people have a knee-jerk reaction to anything that smacks of pseudoscience, this case is different. JTMs are not being openly mocked and ridiculed by mainstream culture; JTMs are being systematically excluded from it. Many of us grew up with these traditions. They shape our culture, language, and cuisine. These ancient healing practices need to be acknowledged for what they are: valuable, life-saving habits that deserve to be preserved for future generations. We do not believe the film has produced evidence supporting its claims against JTTs or other alternative therapies. Many of the assertions made in the movie are blatantly false or misleading — for example: * False statement: Alternative medicines can’t help treat infectious diseases like tuberculosis * False information: Alternative medicines can’t help treat chronic conditions like diabetes * False information: Alternative medicines can’t help prevent cardiovascular disease.

Why JTMs are essential to Japanese culture

JTMs are a core component of Japanese culture. They go back thousands of years and are deeply woven into the fabric of modern Japanese life. JTMs have been extensively studied and proven highly effective in treating various ailments. Since JTMs are not FDA-approved, however, they are largely ignored by the Western medical establishment. This is an opportunity for medical professionals and healthcare reformers to explore an ancient, effective, and safe practice that can benefit everyone. JTMs can be critical in building bridges between the Western and Eastern medical worlds and between different cultures. JTMs have also been used in conservation efforts to teach students traditional ecological knowledge of climate change. JTMs need to participate in discussions on how to respond to the health challenges of our era and how best to protect and care for the planet.

What we don’t know about alternative medicine

There is a lot we don’t know about alternative medicine. Studies have shown that when ASAM-accredited physicians use CAM, patients do better. This is because CAM use is often associated with unaccredited practitioners without formal training to provide medical care. CAM can also be dangerous when it’s used instead of traditional care or when it’s used in place of proven therapies. CAM can be a valuable addition to conventional medicine, but it should not be used as a replacement.

Further, CAM’s alleged life-saving powers don’t hold up to scrutiny. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has evaluated CAM and found that “none of the interventions evaluated by the agency have sufficient evidence to support their use in the United States for the treatment of any condition.” CAM is not a reliable source of health care, and it is time-consuming and ineffective.

Downfall of the film: Lack of evidence and misleading arguments

The filmmakers of What the Health? claim to have “decoded the Japanese health care system” and “revealed the truth about traditional medicine in Japan.” However, these claims are based on an exaggerated reading of a few health studies that are misleading and refuted by the film. Further, the filmmakers omit information that would have supported the case for JTMs, such as the fact that Japan is the only country in the world with no obesity epidemic, the fact that the Japanese have the longest life expectancy in the world, and the fact that Japan has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world. The filmmakers also make misleading claims about the safety of vaccines and other Western medical care. For example, they promote the idea that vaccines are unsafe and ineffective. They also claim that traditional Japanese medicine is safer and more effective than Western medicine, but the evidence does not support this.

Conclusion

What is Health? It is a misleading, deceptive, and dangerous film. The filmmakers rely on cherry-picked data and ignore information that would support JTMs and the safety of vaccines. They seek to demonise and vilify alternative therapies, which pose no real threat to public health. JTMs have risks, but so do many medical practices we take for granted. JTMs can be critical in building bridges between the Western and Eastern medical worlds and between different cultures. They also have a role in creating a more sustainable and equitable healthcare system. JTMs need to participate in discussions on how to respond to the health challenges of our era and how best to protect and care for the planet.