March 15 Class Discussion

Hi all,

I was not expecting to take Biochemistry this semester but was pleasantly surprised by the accessibility of the topics discussed in our first class. There are two topics in particular that I want to comment on.

The first is the ethics of doctors prescribing placebos without the patients' knowledge. I mulled over this for a while and couldn't help but feel that I was going around in circles in my brain. My line of thinking went something like this.

I believe strongly in the "mind-body-spirit" connection and the ability of the "mind" to heal physical symptoms. As someone who has a meditation practice, including intensive retreats, and who works for a meditation center, I've experienced for myself and seen others go through self-healing work through meditation and other forms of awareness practices.

I also have an interesting anecdote to share: the mother of one of my best friends experienced excruciating hip and back pain for years - the point where M.D.s had her on methadone and she was immobile. They never found any anatomical/physiological source of the pain. Then she went through a period of slight dementia and was hospitalized. While hospitalized, she was given anti-depressants - and all her debilitating pain went away.

All this to say, I think the placebo effect is powerful in that a lot of pain can be caused by chemicals, hormones, etc whose production or lack of production can be caused by the mind/heart. So is it unethical for doctors to prescribe placebos to achieve this effect? My instinct is to say no, even given the issues of trust and doctor-patient relationships. But I would draw the line at prescribing placebos that can have a negative impact on the body - such as antibiotics.

The second topic I want to touch on is that of environmental justice. We talked a great deal in our first class on the negative impacts that human technology has had on the greater environment. To me, it's great that so many people are coming around to thinking about sustainability. However, I'm equally worried that the "Green Movement" will perpetuate the mistakes of the previous environmental movements of the 60s and 70s, which resulted in a greater disproportionate siting of pollluting industries in poor, communities of color, etc. When middle class, white communities realized the negative health impacts of power plants, recycling centers, refineries, etc, the siting of new and relocated industries ended up disproportionately in communities that didn't have the political or financial clot to fight them. I hope that the current mass movement for environmental sustainability will be more inclusive and work directly to make sure that there is equal access.

There are many amazing organizations and people working towards these goals, especially in the Bay Area.
Check out the publication "Race, Poverty, and the Environment"
And Oakland-based organizaton: Green for All

Thus concludes my ramblings for this week.