S7 - Replay - Exorcism (and Other Bogus Solutions)

This is a replay of an episode from 2019 that speaks pretty well to the emails we get asking for discussion of alternative "remedies" -- and why the podcast doesn't (or does so with heavy heaps of caution). Here's the writeup that accompanied the original airing:

For Episode 10 of Season 3, we've called a doctor. (Yes, one with TS.) Clay Jones, M.D., is a pediatrician with a frequent byline on the widely read Science-Based Medicine (SBM) blog and is co-host of The Prism Podcast, which explores science, skepticism and the perils of not being an informed or careful seeker of what should be life-improving solutions.

That's kind of an uncomfortable subject to dig into sometimes, particularly within the Tourette community. I've heard from Touretters asking whether I've tried certain alternative "remedies" or "healing" practices, or if I know anyone who has. What's tough about that is we as Touretters don't have a wholesale, go-to, zap-it-away solution presently. And as noted in a previous post here, current insurance protocols don't make it any easier.

That may lead individuals searching for relief wherever hope might be -- which, sadly, is the scenario that swindlers love. That's not to say there's no merit in looking outside the mainstream for a solution that might work for you when all else has failed. Just be careful. Really careful. Ask questions. Ask for the science behind it, and don't accept feelgood anecdotes as a substitute. Some listeners I've heard from are desperate -- the word used -- for relief from complicated TS. Clay, on this episode, discusses his own TS before helping us develop our defenses against peddlers of illegitimate answers.

Clay Jones, M.D., on Science-Based Medicine https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/author/clayjones/

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