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Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

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Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#141

Post by soylentcola »

matsemann wrote: post #54
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dentists don’t remove wisdom teeth, they just refer you to an oral surgeon. The problem with wisdom teeth is that they increase maintenance requirements, it’s hard to clean back there and they can affect adjacent teeth if they do go bad. So I get why many dentists default suggest to remove them (I still have mine but recently started running into problems at 47).

> they just refer you to an oral surgeon Perhaps in the US where they drug you down? Here the dentist just gives you a local anesthetic and pry them out, unless there is something extraordinary. Or perhaps it's a different person? But still the same company getting the money.

I'm in the US. I've had one out and I just got novocaine and elbow grease.

It was honestly an awful experience. Trying to pry that thing out while I couldn't feel a thing, but I felt incredibly drained afterward. Not sure if it was from adrenaline/anxiety or if you still respond to the trauma despite no immediate pain or sensation.

Then I had the pleasure of little shards and chips working their way out as I healed over the next several months. It really did take a good 3-4 months before I felt remotely healed back there.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#142

Post by askonomm »

egberts1 wrote: post #98
AndrewThrowaway wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My experience: Teeth looks fine and healthy, not much tartar to clean. When was the last time you visited? Two years ago. Oh no you should visit at least twice a year (?). Even if all looks fine x-ray is recommended which can reveal some things. I do the x-ray. All is fine. You don't even have upper wisdom teeth. Lower wisdom teeth are at 90deg so they can pose a risk if they started growing. Yeah, but I am 40 years…

90-degree? Yeah, you should get those wisdom teeth out because general anesthesia at your advanced age would not be good for your longevity. That is, if your wisdom teeth were ever then to surface and rot.

General anesthesia? Here in Europe we don't do that. I had one wisdom tooth that got rotten and the injections did not help with the pain because of the infection, so the nurse held me down while the doctor pulled the tooth, me screaming in agony. Then they gave me a shot for the trauma so I would calm down. This is Northern Europe.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#143

Post by Bedon292 »

pc86 wrote: post #91
bostonsre wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> as opposed to chiropractors, who are universally charlatans and frauds I take it you've never thrown your back out and had an adjustment that fixed a lot of pain?

That a chiropractor can relieve pain doesn't mean that chiropractics in the "medical" sense isn't a fraud. Imaging that shown the entire concept of "subluxations" in the chiropractic sense are a myth. I've gone to chiropractors for manipulations. Some even were able to bill my insurance (yet surprisingly the cash price was the same as my insurance copay, imagine that). But I treat it the same as getting a massage. It…

What do you mean by "subluxations" being a myth? Most of my back issues come from subluxation of the T2 vertebra. As shown by x-rays and physically being able to feel that is is out of alignment with the rest of the spine.

Are you referring to those charts that say these are the random other symptoms you might have from alignment issues? Those definitely seem shady, and pseudoscience at best.

Edit: Oh, I see. Overloaded term. I was coming from the medical side, but it can be used differently in a Chiropractic sense. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic#Vertebral_subluxa...

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#144

Post by maerF0x0 »

> My DH clearly pushes this LBR thing on all her patients

Also for all our learnings' sake xrays often fall into this category. Dentists will basically demand xrays as often as the insurance will pay. This is not only a waste of money, but contributes to cumulative damage.

Yes, if you have specific exceptional circumstances then the cost/benefit may be greater, but I understand that in the main and for better exceptional cases you every 3 years is fine.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#145

Post by JRabo »

mort96 wrote: post #135
JRabo wrote: post #122

> You're reading this in a year that starts with "2" so the only possible starting point is Google. LOL. Seriously? Google the biggest known data whore, worst privacy invader on the Internet, whoring personal data out to any john willing to pay. Yeah. The year starts with 2 and Goog has been pimping your data for 23 years now and people still haven't learned they are not your friend.

What is your point? Did the author write something which indicates they think Google is an ethical company?

The point is obvious but I'll spell it out for you using HIS own words. "Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments". He presents himself as "in the know" because the year begins with "2" and anyone in the know would use Google to research an issue. LOL. HE then proceeds to place trust in an unethical company to give him information he needs to make a wise financial decision. Doh!

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#146

Post by Karawebnetwork »

jcranberry wrote: post #22
notamy wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Whether or not to drop $400 is not a "high-stakes medical decision". This just feels out-of-touch. $400 on a medical decision is a MASSIVE choice for many people -- it could be the difference between whether not they eat.

It could be a high stakes decision but perhaps not necessarily a high stakes medical decision?

It's still a laser focused at your gums based on limited studies. What if this ends up creating health issues? Looking at some studies on risks for that procedure, there's small issues like itching sensations that last for days but also more serious issues like badly fitted eye protection that could potentially end up causing blindness.

All medical decisions are high stakes, even if they don't end up working. Even without effects and side effects, the confidence from the laser could mean the author stops flossing for example.

Think sugar pills and homeopathy. If you end up trusting that the useless pill prevents cancer, you might stop going to your cancer screening appointments.

It can also become very costly if the procedure is then added to all other appointments. In an economy 64% of the population lives paycheck to paycheck, this can open a can of worms when presented as a mandatory (or strongly encouraged) procedure.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#147

Post by pc86 »

richbell wrote: post #102
bostonsre wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> as opposed to chiropractors, who are universally charlatans and frauds I take it you've never thrown your back out and had an adjustment that fixed a lot of pain?

> I take it you've never thrown your back out and had an adjustment that fixed a lot of pain? A _good_ chiropractor will only perform adjustments, but the foundations of Chiropractic "medicine" is pseudoscience that many still practice to this day. Wikipedia has a good summary on this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiropractic#Pseudoscience_ver... But, in my opinion, if you're only going to a chiropractor for adjust…

If you're reading this and haven't, please click the Wikipedia link. Scroll down to the photo labeled "A chiropractic manipulation of a horse."

I hope it makes you laugh as much as it did for me.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#148

Post by falseprofit »

gtirloni wrote: post #93
jnovek wrote: post #40

“ Medicine has become a three-way negotiation between you, your doctor, and The Algorithm.” This characterization makes it sound like a good thing. In reality, the doctor’s responsibility is being pushed to the patient because they are overbooked in the name of economic efficiency. As a patient with complex, non-specific medical condition, I can tell you how miserable this is. I can’t count on doctors _at all_ to mov…

> Gatekeepers that block access to potential treatment pathways until you can convince them it’s worth a try. You assume they actually know what needs to be done. In my experience, you can see they don't have a clue and aren't willing to do research to learn. They just hand out their usual prescriptions, etc and sometimes hope an exam will give them an obvious answer. On top of that, most doctors only have a very nar…

I took that comment to mean they had specific treatments in mind they wanted to try, and had difficulty convincing docs to write the Rx.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#149

Post by alistairSH »

Spivak wrote: post #90
pram wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's because the US is one of the few (only??) countries to allow advertisements for prescription drugs.

I'm not trying to condone terrible drug advertisements but man there has to be something to let people know that their "normal" suffering isn't normal or that there are new developments that your PCP for sure isn't gonna keep up with. I know the meme de jour is teens diagnosing themselves with ADHD because of TikTok but it's the perfect example of a whole bunch of people being like "holy shit it's not supposed to be…

there has to be something to let people know that their "normal" suffering isn't normal or that there are new developments that your PCP for sure isn't gonna keep up with.

That should be the doctor's job. Doctors have too much financial pressure to pump patients through, so they have neither the time to get to know individual patients nor time to keep abreast of current trends in their speciality.

Should MedicineX be allowed to have a website with a FAQ? Yes. Should MedecineX be pushing ads on TV/radio that make it seem like it's a cure for everything that ails you? Nope.

Re: Google almost convinced me to spend $400 on useless laser treatments

#150

Post by smileysteve »

bostonsre wrote: post #78
pc86 wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I went to the same dentist for years as a child. Brushed my teeth once a day, never had any issues at all. All of sudden, during a regular checkup, he told my parents (I was ~15 at the time) that I had 9 cavities and needed fillings. In the 20 years since, I have never had a single cavity. And what a shock, he sold his practice between that procedure and my next checkup. I fully believe he was just pumping up his rev…

> as opposed to chiropractors, who are universally charlatans and frauds I take it you've never thrown your back out and had an adjustment that fixed a lot of pain?

The science presents that the only proven outcome of Chiropractic is sudden death.
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