Clipping Board » Medical Myths ─ The truth about healthcare is often different from what you intuitively think.
2016-12-01 Vitality Network Persimmon Culture
Text / Excerpt from Persimmon Culture's "Cough Alert," author Luo Shikuan
The Dilemma of Symptomatic Treatment: The Deadly Prescription and Consultation Mindset
Today, I will courageously share a painful clinical experience so everyone can understand why doctors fear treating colds. This can be considered a shared burden of history, and as a doctor, it’s actually very difficult for me to speak about.
The Heartache Behind Prescribing
The patients faced by hospitals and clinics are worlds apart. Hospital patients are mostly those who require hospitalization, surgery, or regular follow-ups, while clinics primarily deal with acute infections and colds. It’s embarrassing to admit, but during my six years at a medical center, I encountered all kinds of terminal illnesses, rare diseases, and critical conditions—yet I never learned how to properly treat a cold. In medical centers, no one values or even understands colds. Everyone only knows about symptomatic treatment . If it doesn’t work or the case is stubborn, the patient is hospitalized first. A full round of tests is conducted, and for severe cases, intravenous antibiotics or steroids are administered. Most patients can drag through the acute phase and appear to recover smoothly, but in reality, the problem may not be fully resolved.
When I first started my practice, I asked all my seniors how to properly treat a cold, but all I was told was that certain antibiotics and cough suppressants were very effective. If those didn’t work, a few days of steroids could be added. And if that still didn’t help, the patient should be referred to a major hospital.
At the time, I naturally didn’t dare to casually prescribe steroids. But what could I do when so many patients complained that their medication wasn’t working after days of use? Eventually, I had no choice but to start adding a second-line (or even third-line) antibiotic or steroid to some patients’ prescriptions (under Taiwan’s National Health Insurance reimbursement rules and clinical experience, antibiotics are broadly categorized into three lines, with the first-line being the safest. If ineffective, second-line is used, while third-line has the strictest usage restrictions). The result? Patients praised the medication’s effectiveness, but I felt incredibly guilty .
Though I still hoped to avoid using these drugs unless absolutely necessary, I found myself resorting to them under the dual pressures of my limited understanding of colds and patients’ demands for immediate relief. The only remedy I could offer was to minimize the dosage as much as possible.
Around that time, an ENT professor published an article advocating the appropriate use of steroids in the early stages of a cold. While this gave me some reassurance, in practice, I kept seeing cold patients who frequently used steroids and antibiotics returning to the clinic repeatedly, becoming regulars in the ENT department .
For me, this was utterly shameful , and my conscience was deeply troubled . So I was determined to find a way to change this situation. I believed that a doctor’s prescriptions must genuinely consider the patient’s well-being. Thus, in the early years of my practice, whether during consultations or breaks, I constantly thought about how to diagnose and treat correctly to restore my patients’ health.
At first, the best I could come up with was supplementing prescriptions with health products. For example, in adult cold prescriptions, I stopped all antacids and instead added vitamin C, B-complex, digestive enzymes, and yeast tablets. The downside was that the pill count in each prescription became alarmingly high. For children, I replaced all medicated sugar powders with yeast powder and appetite-stimulating enzyme powder. Of course, patient education and lifestyle care couldn’t be skipped, which led to such a high consumption rate of cold education leaflets that the clinic staff couldn’t keep up with printing them—much to their frustration.However, do you know? Just these actions alone can lead to unimaginable additional expenses every month! Did you know that the health insurance reimbursement for a single prescription is merely a few dozen dollars? Under such circumstances, treating a cold without painkillers or steroids is incredibly difficult! I can only subsidize the medication costs for pharmacies on a monthly basis; otherwise, no pharmacy would be willing to accept my prescriptions. Meanwhile, health insurance reimbursements and pharmaceutical fees are being reduced year after year—I can only say that being a practicing physician in Taiwan is truly "no easy task"!
Yet, to this day, patients’ attitudes toward colds remain largely the same:
⒜ See a doctor immediately after catching a cold.
⒝ Demand medication that works quickly.
⒞ Few are willing to adopt or truly implement the correct mindset about treatment.
⒟ Focus solely on drug therapy, even insisting on injections for rapid relief—this kind of medical mentality often strains doctor-patient relationships.
Practicing physicians are frontline soldiers in this battle, and under such conditions, the challenges they face are immense. Patients demand rapid symptom relief and won’t tolerate unmet expectations, inevitably leading to stronger and more excessive cold medications—just get through today, and worry about tomorrow later! When such habits become the norm, the ultimate result is that tiny Taiwan boasts the world’s largest and most frequently utilized hospitals, with clinics perpetually packed and the highest dialysis rate globally.
What exactly are the cold medicines you’re taking?
Cold medicines are merely symptomatic treatments. Did you know that many of them are entirely unnecessary?
Do cold medicines even exist?
In truth, there’s no such thing as a "cold medicine." The heavily marketed combination cold capsules on the market are essentially allopathic treatments—they only alleviate symptoms and reduce discomfort. Taking them tricks your exhausted body into forgetting it needs rest, allowing you to continue working or attending classes. However, the consequence of further draining your body is a weakened immune system, increasing the risk of secondary infections. The healthcare system operates similarly. Yet, despite this, most colds still resolve on their own.
Why? Because the body God gave us is remarkably resilient. It’s our immune system that brings about self-healing; medication merely reduces the misery of illness. Even if we push our bodies relentlessly without rest, it might only mean a few extra days of medication before the cold subsides… Yet, what people fail to realize is that the price paid for this approach is the accelerated burning of life’s candle.
Though I often worry deeply about this, my individual efforts can’t change much, as this is indeed the most convenient, simple, and effective method. Even if secondary infections occur, immediate antibiotic treatment alleviates most concerns—though whether this process is truly flawless depends on the doctor’s judgment, reasoning, and approach.
Do cold medicines really work?
What exactly are cold medicines? They’re nothing more than painkillers, fever reducers, nasal decongestants, sneeze suppressants, cough suppressants, expectorants, and various gastrointestinal symptom relievers (for constipation, bloating, diarrhea, and vomiting)… Beyond these, of course, are the most potent anti-inflammatory drugs in Western medicine—which include two types: antibiotics combined with antivirals, and steroids.
I’m not opposed to using these medications. The real questions are: When should you start taking them? And when are they truly necessary? These are the core issues.It is understandable to alleviate symptoms appropriately to reduce the discomfort of a cold. However, so-called cold medicines, while they can suppress, relieve, or eliminate symptoms, do not mean the cold is cured. The physiological reactions caused by the cold virus multiplying in the body are still ongoing .
There is nothing wrong with the medication itself—using it in small amounts can help patients get through the ordeal. Yet the practice of prescribing symptom-relief drugs has now evolved into the primary treatment method, which is highly questionable . Patients are eager to treat symptoms, doctors fear risks and dare not withhold prescriptions, and where there is demand, there will always be supply—this is the result of a vicious cycle. Such a treatment model has long been ingrained in most people's minds and is nearly impossible to change.
In fact, the fever, loss of appetite, and fatigue we experience during a cold are among the best natural treatments bestowed upon all living beings by the Creator. Many renowned physicians throughout history have advocated following the laws of nature. Yet, in Western medicine, when faced with fever or loss of appetite, we often hastily administer various drugs to eliminate all symptoms or force patients to eat, leading many to push through work or school instead of resting! Such disregard for nature’s wisdom only worsens the illness—especially the notion of "getting a shot for a cold," which is utterly misguided! I am often criticized for refusing to prescribe injections, but what can I do? I can only patiently advise, hoping to reach as many patients as possible.
**Cold Treatment in Other Countries**
A purely symptom-control approach is problematic. I believe change must start with doctors, then influence patients’ perspectives, spreading from points to lines until a complete transformation is achieved.
Over twenty years ago, I observed in the U.S. and Canada that cold patients there rarely took medication. Even with the flu, they would endure it for three days first. If high fever became unbearable, only one or two types of medication were prescribed, primarily for reducing fever, with antibiotics seldom used. Doctors mostly advised patients to rest at home, drink plenty of water, and eat lightly. Most relied on health supplements, and with a week or two of self-care at home, the vast majority recovered.
For someone like me, who was prescribing medication daily at the time, this was a profound shock. Comparing the two approaches, how could one not feel ashamed?
**About *Cough Alert***
- **Title:** *Cough Alert*
- **Author:** Luo Shikuan (author); Luo Jizhu (data compilation)
- **Publisher:** Persimmon Culture
- **Publication Date:** November 27, 2016
Having witnessed all kinds of terminal, rare, and critical illnesses in medical centers, he never learned how to treat a cold? Once a prominent physician at National Taiwan University Hospital and Mackay Memorial Hospital, he felt frustrated when treating coughs in his own practice? Determined to truly solve patients’ troubles, Dr. Luo Shikuan dedicated himself to research and experimentation. Now, with 35 years of rich clinical experience in otolaryngology and over a decade of integrative medicine research, he has distilled his insights into accessible writing. He delves into the often-overlooked topics of colds and coughs, offering clear explanations on principles, prevention, and treatment.
Source: https://health. udn. com/ health/ story/ 5980/ 2139347
Clinic Doctor's Confession: Why Cold Medicine Works—It's Laced With...
Text / Excerpt from Persimmon Culture's "Cough Alert," author Luo Shikuan
The Dilemma of Symptomatic Treatment: The Deadly Prescription and Consultation Mindset
Today, I will courageously share a painful clinical experience so everyone can understand why doctors fear treating colds. This can be considered a shared burden of history, and as a doctor, it’s actually very difficult for me to speak about.
The Heartache Behind Prescribing
The patients faced by hospitals and clinics are worlds apart. Hospital patients are mostly those who require hospitalization, surgery, or regular follow-ups, while clinics primarily deal with acute infections and colds. It’s embarrassing to admit, but during my six years at a medical center, I encountered all kinds of terminal illnesses, rare diseases, and critical conditions—yet I never learned how to properly treat a cold. In medical centers, no one values or even understands colds. Everyone only knows about symptomatic treatment . If it doesn’t work or the case is stubborn, the patient is hospitalized first. A full round of tests is conducted, and for severe cases, intravenous antibiotics or steroids are administered. Most patients can drag through the acute phase and appear to recover smoothly, but in reality, the problem may not be fully resolved.
When I first started my practice, I asked all my seniors how to properly treat a cold, but all I was told was that certain antibiotics and cough suppressants were very effective. If those didn’t work, a few days of steroids could be added. And if that still didn’t help, the patient should be referred to a major hospital.
At the time, I naturally didn’t dare to casually prescribe steroids. But what could I do when so many patients complained that their medication wasn’t working after days of use? Eventually, I had no choice but to start adding a second-line (or even third-line) antibiotic or steroid to some patients’ prescriptions (under Taiwan’s National Health Insurance reimbursement rules and clinical experience, antibiotics are broadly categorized into three lines, with the first-line being the safest. If ineffective, second-line is used, while third-line has the strictest usage restrictions). The result? Patients praised the medication’s effectiveness, but I felt incredibly guilty .
Though I still hoped to avoid using these drugs unless absolutely necessary, I found myself resorting to them under the dual pressures of my limited understanding of colds and patients’ demands for immediate relief. The only remedy I could offer was to minimize the dosage as much as possible.
Around that time, an ENT professor published an article advocating the appropriate use of steroids in the early stages of a cold. While this gave me some reassurance, in practice, I kept seeing cold patients who frequently used steroids and antibiotics returning to the clinic repeatedly, becoming regulars in the ENT department .
For me, this was utterly shameful , and my conscience was deeply troubled . So I was determined to find a way to change this situation. I believed that a doctor’s prescriptions must genuinely consider the patient’s well-being. Thus, in the early years of my practice, whether during consultations or breaks, I constantly thought about how to diagnose and treat correctly to restore my patients’ health.
At first, the best I could come up with was supplementing prescriptions with health products. For example, in adult cold prescriptions, I stopped all antacids and instead added vitamin C, B-complex, digestive enzymes, and yeast tablets. The downside was that the pill count in each prescription became alarmingly high. For children, I replaced all medicated sugar powders with yeast powder and appetite-stimulating enzyme powder. Of course, patient education and lifestyle care couldn’t be skipped, which led to such a high consumption rate of cold education leaflets that the clinic staff couldn’t keep up with printing them—much to their frustration.However, do you know? Just these actions alone can lead to unimaginable additional expenses every month! Did you know that the health insurance reimbursement for a single prescription is merely a few dozen dollars? Under such circumstances, treating a cold without painkillers or steroids is incredibly difficult! I can only subsidize the medication costs for pharmacies on a monthly basis; otherwise, no pharmacy would be willing to accept my prescriptions. Meanwhile, health insurance reimbursements and pharmaceutical fees are being reduced year after year—I can only say that being a practicing physician in Taiwan is truly "no easy task"!
Yet, to this day, patients’ attitudes toward colds remain largely the same:
⒜ See a doctor immediately after catching a cold.
⒝ Demand medication that works quickly.
⒞ Few are willing to adopt or truly implement the correct mindset about treatment.
⒟ Focus solely on drug therapy, even insisting on injections for rapid relief—this kind of medical mentality often strains doctor-patient relationships.
Practicing physicians are frontline soldiers in this battle, and under such conditions, the challenges they face are immense. Patients demand rapid symptom relief and won’t tolerate unmet expectations, inevitably leading to stronger and more excessive cold medications—just get through today, and worry about tomorrow later! When such habits become the norm, the ultimate result is that tiny Taiwan boasts the world’s largest and most frequently utilized hospitals, with clinics perpetually packed and the highest dialysis rate globally.
What exactly are the cold medicines you’re taking?
Cold medicines are merely symptomatic treatments. Did you know that many of them are entirely unnecessary?
Do cold medicines even exist?
In truth, there’s no such thing as a "cold medicine." The heavily marketed combination cold capsules on the market are essentially allopathic treatments—they only alleviate symptoms and reduce discomfort. Taking them tricks your exhausted body into forgetting it needs rest, allowing you to continue working or attending classes. However, the consequence of further draining your body is a weakened immune system, increasing the risk of secondary infections. The healthcare system operates similarly. Yet, despite this, most colds still resolve on their own.
Why? Because the body God gave us is remarkably resilient. It’s our immune system that brings about self-healing; medication merely reduces the misery of illness. Even if we push our bodies relentlessly without rest, it might only mean a few extra days of medication before the cold subsides… Yet, what people fail to realize is that the price paid for this approach is the accelerated burning of life’s candle.
Though I often worry deeply about this, my individual efforts can’t change much, as this is indeed the most convenient, simple, and effective method. Even if secondary infections occur, immediate antibiotic treatment alleviates most concerns—though whether this process is truly flawless depends on the doctor’s judgment, reasoning, and approach.
Do cold medicines really work?
What exactly are cold medicines? They’re nothing more than painkillers, fever reducers, nasal decongestants, sneeze suppressants, cough suppressants, expectorants, and various gastrointestinal symptom relievers (for constipation, bloating, diarrhea, and vomiting)… Beyond these, of course, are the most potent anti-inflammatory drugs in Western medicine—which include two types: antibiotics combined with antivirals, and steroids.
I’m not opposed to using these medications. The real questions are: When should you start taking them? And when are they truly necessary? These are the core issues.It is understandable to alleviate symptoms appropriately to reduce the discomfort of a cold. However, so-called cold medicines, while they can suppress, relieve, or eliminate symptoms, do not mean the cold is cured. The physiological reactions caused by the cold virus multiplying in the body are still ongoing .
There is nothing wrong with the medication itself—using it in small amounts can help patients get through the ordeal. Yet the practice of prescribing symptom-relief drugs has now evolved into the primary treatment method, which is highly questionable . Patients are eager to treat symptoms, doctors fear risks and dare not withhold prescriptions, and where there is demand, there will always be supply—this is the result of a vicious cycle. Such a treatment model has long been ingrained in most people's minds and is nearly impossible to change.
In fact, the fever, loss of appetite, and fatigue we experience during a cold are among the best natural treatments bestowed upon all living beings by the Creator. Many renowned physicians throughout history have advocated following the laws of nature. Yet, in Western medicine, when faced with fever or loss of appetite, we often hastily administer various drugs to eliminate all symptoms or force patients to eat, leading many to push through work or school instead of resting! Such disregard for nature’s wisdom only worsens the illness—especially the notion of "getting a shot for a cold," which is utterly misguided! I am often criticized for refusing to prescribe injections, but what can I do? I can only patiently advise, hoping to reach as many patients as possible.
**Cold Treatment in Other Countries**
A purely symptom-control approach is problematic. I believe change must start with doctors, then influence patients’ perspectives, spreading from points to lines until a complete transformation is achieved.
Over twenty years ago, I observed in the U.S. and Canada that cold patients there rarely took medication. Even with the flu, they would endure it for three days first. If high fever became unbearable, only one or two types of medication were prescribed, primarily for reducing fever, with antibiotics seldom used. Doctors mostly advised patients to rest at home, drink plenty of water, and eat lightly. Most relied on health supplements, and with a week or two of self-care at home, the vast majority recovered.
For someone like me, who was prescribing medication daily at the time, this was a profound shock. Comparing the two approaches, how could one not feel ashamed?
**About *Cough Alert***
- **Title:** *Cough Alert*
- **Author:** Luo Shikuan (author); Luo Jizhu (data compilation)
- **Publisher:** Persimmon Culture
- **Publication Date:** November 27, 2016
Having witnessed all kinds of terminal, rare, and critical illnesses in medical centers, he never learned how to treat a cold? Once a prominent physician at National Taiwan University Hospital and Mackay Memorial Hospital, he felt frustrated when treating coughs in his own practice? Determined to truly solve patients’ troubles, Dr. Luo Shikuan dedicated himself to research and experimentation. Now, with 35 years of rich clinical experience in otolaryngology and over a decade of integrative medicine research, he has distilled his insights into accessible writing. He delves into the often-overlooked topics of colds and coughs, offering clear explanations on principles, prevention, and treatment.
Source: https://health. udn. com/ health/ story/ 5980/ 2139347