Ignoring the red-and-white danger sign, Sri Mulyati walks slowly to the train tracks outside Indonesia’s bustling capital, lies down and stretches her body across the rails.
Like the nearly dozen others lined up along the track, the 50-year-old diabetes patient has all but given up on doctors and can’t afford the expensive medicines they prescribe. In her mind, she has only one option left: electric therapy.
“I’ll keep doing this until I’m completely cured,” said Mulyati, twitching visibly as an oncoming passenger train sends an extra rush of current racing through her body.
She leaps from tracks as it approaches and then, after the last carriage rattles slowly by, climbs back into position…
She turned to train track therapy last year after hearing a rumor about an ethnic Chinese man who was partially paralyzed by a stroke going to the tracks to kill himself, but instead finding himself cured…
No one has been arrested yet, and none of the participants in train track therapy has died.
Yet.
Considering the number of people world wide that get run over by trains simply by being oblivious, I’m not too concerned.
And, while it offers little actual promise of a cure, it’s probably more effective than homeopathy. And it’s free.
Besides, it you are old, sick and living in Indonesia, you have much less to loose than being a first world computer geek that reads this blog.
Oh, I nearly forgot. And it some DO die, it serves to REDUCE THE SURPLUS POPULATION! I’ve been slipping on that lately!
“Death Therapy, Bob. It’s a guaranteed cure.”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=w_bxkVFK3Wc
Someone explain to me how an inoming train can send electrical impulses throught the tracks both firmly attached to te ground,
Here, we are either witnessing new laws of physics or this is just BS
#2 Ah_Yea,
One of my all time favorite films.
Great lazy Sunday film.
Dreyfuss in one of his best along with Murray.
“But what about Bob?
Train on unanticipated track and your cured for life. Ha.
# 1 spsffan said, “it’s probably more effective than homeopathy”
Probably??? About the only thing LESS effective is … well, sorry/ Can’t think of anything.
“it’s probably more effective than homeopathy”
does this mean anything unproven and not befouled by corporate concensus is bunk?
what were all the quarks and leptons and atoms doing before we found them. nothing did they exist until we proved them?
so we rely on authority of truth now do we? that’s a bit naive and scary.
there is a lot to be said for energy medicine although western systems will laugh at it.
i don’t mean homeopathy specifically, but a general meme that natural medicine is a waste of time because the medical board doesn’t like competition with non patentable cures.
we have been deliberately mislead and indoctrinated that the establishment is right always, sure medical science in context is great but its not everything. i will need a surgeon to mend a broken bone, but will rely on nutrition for health. most docs aren’t even trained in basic nutrition – the basis of our longevity. quality in = quality out.
#8 St Peter, “a general meme that natural medicine is a waste of time”
Homeopathy is hardly natural medicine. The concept is to introduce toxic compounds into the body in hopes the body will learn to disregard them. Of course, they are first diluted to a point that is actually below Avogadro’s Number so there is, essentially, none of the substance left! Point this out to a practitioner and the usual answer is, yes but the original solution was magically transformed by the toxic substance so the diluted “medicine” will still have a few molecules of that magical solvent. Okay, I used the word magic where homeopaths use words like imbued or transformed. But it’s still magic. So, when your homeo doctor gives you a little vial of hay fever medicine, you’;re handing over twenty bucks for some magic water. Hope you like the pretty label.
By the way, at least in the UK, some over the counter drugs that claim to be homeopathic are not, in reality. They are more naturopathic compounds of flower or herb essences. The curiosity is that the counterfeit “medicines” stand a better chance of having an effect than the real thing!
And, please, don’t come back and tell me how prejudiced I am by my mainstream allopathic training. If you choose to respond, please respond with one single scientifically juried study that shows homeopathy is effective as anything other than a placebo. Oh, and the study should be from at least the latter half of the 20th century. (When I challenge homeopaths this way, I am often shown studies done during the Civil War!)
No argument there, just stating that there are biases on both sides. normally due to prior assumed knowledge
Homeopathy sounds a bit like vaccination, the way you put it, but on a smaller scale.
good and bad on both sides, i guess my point is that we need to look deeper rather than just automatically dismissing something because it doesn’t fit within our world view.
case in point is that i have personally had a great deal of success with alternative medicine including acupuncture / energy treatments – where tradition medicine failed. some may say its rubbish and possibly a placebo effect, but even so, the placebo effect tells us that our brain is in control anyway so that argument isnt valid either.
mysterious mysteries, but id say 70% plus of ‘normal’ doctors are indoctrinated and flatly refuse to look outside their box.
and i’m glad there are doc’s out there with an open a mind as yours – that i have seen through previous comments.
as far as needing a ‘con’census based study to prove a point, after all this climate ‘con’census bullcrap, i dont think i trust the official word of science where there are ANY govt or controlling agencies with a vested interest, and yes this includes medicine and the FDA, TGA, the AMA and all the (not talking about your local GP) “authoritative” executive bodies who are of course completely unbiased and only after our giving us the best health possible at the lowest cost.
ITM
Sounds like the sort of “cure” that Kevin Trudeau would sell as what “…the government doesn’t want you to know about!” There’s probably some enterprising Indonesian selling tickets to particularly effective sections of the tracks. I can’t see this opportunity escaping exploitation, by somebody. Probably the same guy spreading the story about the crippled Chinese man.
# 11 Glenn E. said, “There’s probably some enterprising Indonesian selling tickets”
Glenn, I lived in Indonesia for just under two years and your comment really made me smile. During my time there someone was always trying to sell me something whether public buildings or an underage daughter. (Nope. Never bought either one!)
# 10 Speter “i’m glad there are doc’s out there with an open a mind”
Thanks you. I am fairly open-minded about alternatives. In my travels I’ve worked along side local healers – usually to pretty good success. There is usually something about traditional methods that are worthwhile. But homeopathy is only slightly above crystal therapy and on-line psychic surgery.
The local Medical Association will put a stop to this !!! Can’t get cured without PILLS !!!
Easy to see how quack anything gets going when the most intelligent and educated among us will equate science based medicine with folklore.
Yes: not everything in science is correct and not everything in folklore is wrong, ergo: they are the same.
Silly Hoomans.
# 14 bobbo, “not everything in science is correct and not everything in folklore is wrong, ergo: they are the same.”
DANGER, WILL BOBBOSON – DANGER! Logic error, Boberto. In equation form you said:
a ≠ x and
b ≠ x therefore
a = b
Logic aside, there’s a lot of truth in your assertion.
Lies down and stretches her body against the rails? Talk about psychosomatic related benefits of a medical treatment
Perhaps she should stand on the highway in front of speeding trucks
Reminds me of the 1996 Canadian movie “Crash”
“After getting into a serious car accident, a TV director discovers an underground sub-culture of scarred, omnisexual car-crash victims who use car accidents ”
What a rush !
Animby–sarcasm just doesn’t come across well does it! Name calling is so much more accurate–ha, ha. Course, if YOU had started that post with “Hey dumb shit, ………” I would have to take you seriously.
The folklore and chinese medicine that turns out to be right is always interesting though. Reminds me talking to a chiropracter and telling him when they claim adjustments could cure cancer, they just made themselves look bad. He agreed with me. Smooth political type of doc big in local public speaking. He was winning me over and then he said “…..because we actually can’t cure every kind of cander.” Quack, Quack.
“none of the participants in train track therapy has died.” by being run over by a train.
@ bobbo – “when they claim adjustments could cure cancer”
interesting concept, that perhaps by aligning the body, removing energy blockages, potentially reducing inflammation, and allowing nutrients to flow into the joints. perhaps just perhaps, one’s body is actually able to heal itself – under optimal conditions.
maybe its not that its ‘curing it’, but without it (alignment and good posture), the body does not have a chance to cure itself as it is placed under excess stress.
words matter and saying cure is a strong word which gets an automatic reaction when there is no ‘proof’ available.
i would suggest that alternative therapies, tend to get the body back into a holistic balance where it is able to heal itself.
(not that i am an advocate for chiro) but for example someone with a bad back, would have a worse quality of life, may become sedentary, lack nutrient flow, lack vitamin d from being cooped up inside and that may lead to cancer??. so maybe if the ‘treatment’ was able to get them up and out about, this would actually be the cure rather than the initial action of skeletal manipulation.
cure no? but, proactive start to self healing? maybe?
Several who suffer from the physical illnesses due to genes, time or the surroundings will gamble on the efficacy of miracle cures when medical science falters. The Associated Press reports that very poor residents of Jakarta, Indonesia, aren’t immune to this sensation. Many individuals stretch their bodies over electrified rails, claiming that such “train track therapy” involving electric fields combats diabetic issues and connected ailments. A lot of us are believing in different alternative medicines to sure illness. Some people might be thinking that it is just another trick to get the attention of the people. However, we cannot force them to believe in us. We just need to listen to their story then have our own research to prove how true it is.
Miracle Indonesian train track therapy allegedly cure’s diabetes
#19–speter==nice review and quite accurate as well==except for the cure part. Alignment does have its role and purpose that in the main traditional medicine overlooks. My own mother got hit by a truck as a young girl and was told she would never walk. Chiropracter gave her her life back. It has a very limited, narrow scope, applicability. The unknown benefits of alignment? I’m sure there are a few. Cancer? Well, if you think the body can heal itself, then that possibility is there.
As a side shot to Tanya: when the alternative approaches reach a success level above 1%, they will achieve a credibility worthy of a second look. As to railtrack therapy, I wouldn’t be surprised if the mere exercise of walking down to the tracks and stretching the body was the best thing that could be done. The smell may lessen their appetite. Hey!!!!==one cure for some diabetes is increased exercise and reduced calories. Ha, ha.
#17 Bonno – I thought you might be applying hyperbole so I didn’t take you too far to task.
Re: Chiropractors. IMHO a quack profession. What other medical profession defines a problem no one else can see or demonstrate (subluxations) and then pulls off enough political clout to get the “cure”, only they can deliver, covered by insurance? Alignment therapy? When was the last time you had to unkink an electrical cable to get the current to flow? Seriously, if your spine is so crooked it is interfering with the nerve impulses, you probably need more therapy than a chiropractor can manage.
Then I back off. Because I know people including my own father who improved dramatically from a “whiplash” injury after visiting a DCM. My own opinion is that he (and most others) would be helped equally well by a good massage therapist or physical therapist. Not a pseudo doctor.
#22–Animby==like I said, they can’t cure all kinds of cancer.
you say: “My own opinion is that he (and most others) would be helped equally well by a good massage therapist or physical therapist. Not a pseudo doctor.? //// Yes, a BJ or happy ending makes “the medicine go down”/the symptoms go away, or what were we talking about?
BUT—let’s be fair. What healthcare provider doesn’t “over promise” or over estimate their skills? Some will argue its even better for the patients. Imagine that?
I almost choked to death on my hot dog last night: consumer show on tv advising the public to “know” their doctor better: “ask him what his infection rate is.”
I wonder just how stupid “everyone” is? THAT stupid? Tell me it ain’t so.
#23 Bobbo – I, too, nearly choked when I heard a PSA advising people to make an appointment with a doctor to interview them, see if you want to be their patient. Not sure what a routine office visit costs these days but I doubt your insurance will cover an interview! An argument could be made that you are about to hire the doctor so maybe he should waive the fee in anticipation of future income. HAH! I don’t know any doctors right now who are that much in need of new patients. Besides, most doctors (guilty!) have egos too big to submit to such interrogations – uhh – interviews.
Seems like nobody likes Diet and Exercise, not even Indonesians.