7/22/2003: Palestinian bloodletting quackery
 

http://cellar.org/2003/palbloodletting.jpg

I'm sure there's a long history of bloodletting and how it's been a substitute for real medicine, but here we see that this history is not yet over. This is from last week's MSNBC Week in Pics and apparently shows a man getting treatment for headaches from a Palestinian doctor in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. The caption says this same treament is used for "rheumatism, cancer, infertility, high blood pressure, eczema and a variety of other ailments."

"miraculously" being the key word there.

How does it work?
 

How do the glass balls draw the blood out? It appears as though they are suctioned onto his back, so I guess if there's a vacuum in there it would help draw the blood out? How do they create the vacuum?

I wonder ir it's something nasty like they press the globe to his back with a small tube inside, then suck some air out, and then slip the tube out?

It looks like they're burning a piece of paper inside it to create suction. This works rather well - get a beaker, light a piece of paper on fire, put it inside, stick the beaker on your forehead and wait a few minutes. :)

It looks like what the practitioner (I can't bring myself to use the word doctor) is doing here is a variation of cupping. I hadn't seen cupping associated with bloodletting, though. (I'm reminded of Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live doing the Medieval Barber Surgeon sketch ... "We'll have to bleed him!")

The glass jars are affixed to the skin by means of a vacuum formed by heating the tops of the jars. The things people will pay for ...

That being said, however, our friend the leech is getting a second try in the medical world ... they are being used to assist in restoring circulation following limb reattachment surgeries.

Other seemingly icky treatments include using maggots to debride infected wounds (they work cheaper than even medical residents).

Oh Yeah
 

I have given blood periodically since I was 17. I swear it makes you feel better, or maybe it's just psychological impact of knowing that a portion of your blood is "fresh" from the marrow in the weeks following. Sort of like the psychological effect of being skinny and then getting muscular, when your new muscles are fresh. Nevermind me man I'm a bit futzed at the moment.

Anyways I tried to give blood on Friday night and they TURNED ME DOWN in the screening process. Apparently they don't want the blood of people who have partied a little too hard in the past year.

Re: 7/22/2003: Palestinian bloodletting quackery
 

I'm stickin' to 2 aspirin.

I sold plasma a few times when I was a really poor student. Finally the desperate vibe of the "center" freaked me out. That and getting my vein "infiltrated" by a gum popping phlebotomist wannabe with press-on nails. I can still see her running her gigantic nails down my dangling tube wondering aloud why I've stopped filling my bag. Ow. I almost passed out. I got really pale and cold. I remember that "Terms of Endearment" was on the TV- Debra Winger spiraling down. They gave me cookies and Tang.

When I suggested that I would gladly just call it a day, she said if I'd wait, they could separate what theyve got, poke me on the other side, and give me "my juice (whole blood) back". No. Thank you. Bye forever. Big nasty bruise on my sore forearm.

I still give blood on occasion, but cant watch the needle. I can't say that I've ever felt any related burst of refreshment.:)

Well letting the leeches suck the blood out of you is better than letting the alternative bloodsuckers do the job...lawyers.

unless that rule went into effect less than 2 months ago, thats not true. my sister was an organ / tissue donor, and we lived in england from 1988 - 1990.

~james

hmm, i guess im of two minds on that then. if she did 'slip through', on one hand im glad she did, because she saved several lives and that has served to be a great comfort to me.

on the other hand, while im quite sure she did not have the disease in question, i find it somewhat disconcerting. the donor program folks asked specifically if she lived in europe and when we replied in the affirmative, they asked for details. so i have to wonder where the breakdown was.

after searching myself, the only thing i could really find was here. while that page discusses blood donation, i imagine the rules for organ / tissue donation would be much the same.

~james