Who needs a real doctor when you have quack doctors?
A fear all people have is getting sick, whether it be a simple cold or the terrifying disease, cancer. No matter what people do it never seems to go away. Despite this, for centuries humans all across the globe have fought against the never-ending scourge of illness. Scientists of all kinds have banded together to research these illnesses and develop treatments and cures so as to heal and protect the population. Traditional medicine is the root with each new trial and development sprouting off to form a new branch. Traditional medicine is a type of medical treatment rooted in using only organic materials that can be found naturally. Research done by both traditional and modern doctors prove that they both are effective when treating certain diseases. However, the majority of the time traditional medicine works best as treatments of acute illnesses and/or the symptoms of an illness. People, especially in rural areas, have been using these home remedies of roots and flowers and seeds, some even having better health than those who regularly see a modern doctor. Unfortunately for us, not all systems and doctors are looking out for the betterment of human life. Many people die due to illness in the USA, not because there is no treatment but because they cannot afford it. The healthcare system is more focused on making as much money as possible than helping the citizens it was created to serve in their time of need. This issue is quite prevalent when it comes to modern medicine where people need insulin, inhalers, or mood stabilizers for mental illnesses like bipolar disorder. It is because of this that people have recently started turning to more traditional medicines and homeopathic remedies in lieu of going into debt for medication that will barely last them a year. That is to say, there is nothing wrong with traditional medicine. It effectively works and often can prevent some illnesses. Yet, like any good thing, selfish people have to ruin it.
As traditional medicine and homeopathic remedies rise in popularity again, many quack doctors take this opportunity to sink their fangs into desperate people looking for relief and sell their scamming ‘cure-alls’. These doctors will claim their traditional ‘organic cures’ will cure and prevent almost everything, even genetically passed down diseases. These fake doctors will claim that their medicine works better than even what modern science can make. They often prey on people’s bad experiences within the healthcare system and push the narrative that certified doctors are trying to hide the quack doctor’s cures from them so that they spend more money on medicine. They use the needs of people who can’t afford doctors and turn it against them to further their own selfish, greedy agendas. Sadly, this isn’t a modern problem. These snake oil sellers have been around for ages. There’s plenty of evidence throughout history of those who took advantage of people in horrible positions or during times of great struggle.
One clear example of this is Dr. J Walker’s Vinegar Bitters. He learned about vinegar bitters from Native Americans during the temperance movement. Vinegar bitters are essentially bitter roots (e.g wormwood) and flowers (e.g lavender) soaked in, most commonly, apple cider vinegar for a period before the juice is separated to be drunk. It’s like a better tasting, organic hangover drink. Advertised in an 1872 Almanac by the Vinegar bitters company, Dr. Walker and the reviewers hail it as a savior to the drinking problem in New York at the time and to many who are riddled with illness. Not only does he claim the bitters can help with the population’s drinking problem he also boldly claims it can cure a myriad of diseases. From diabetes to paralysis, these vinegar bitters can do it all. Except, they actually can’t and like previously stated treat the symptoms not the actual disease. Or in the cases of severe illnesses, like paralysis, they physically cannot treat them at all. They claim to prevent diseases passed down genetically, promising vulnerable people that their product has a 100% guarantee, when it is in fact lying. These medications are not approved by other doctors merely, the men who call themselves doctors. It is important to reiterate here that neither the people buying these ‘cure-alls’ nor the actual medicine itself is at fault. Vinegar bitters help with digestion, cramping, nausea, and bloating. They also help soothe inflammation and work to relax symptoms of autoimmune disorders. The vinegar bitters have their uses, just not the uses being advertised by scammers like Dr. J Walker.
Another example is the ‘electric’ bitters, made in 1878 by Dr. King and produced by H. E Bucklen. ‘Electric’ bitters are not much different from vinegar bitters except for two things: the bitter roots and flowers are soaked in alcohol, and they use the electric daisy. The electric daisy is the key to making the ‘electric’ bitters, well electric. These daisies when soaked give off a juicy taste with a very similar feeling to pop rocks going off in a person’s mouth. One could say they’re similar to a fizzy cocktail you might get at a bar. These ‘electric’ bitters are advertised to be used as cure-all syrup, like NyQuil, where you drink a certain amount periodically and all your illness and aches go away. Of course, this is the case of another’s salesman telling half-truths. It’s easy to look at the people who buy into this and say that they must be gullible, but it’s very important to remember that these are people in need and the way these salesmen promote their products can be very convincing, especially when other medications haven’t worked for them. For example, Dr. King’s ‘electric’ bitters have such grandiose testimonials that it makes you wonder if miracles really do exist. A prime example of this is John W. Modders. Modders claimed he suffered for 15 years. He was in so much pain and so weak to the point where he could not work for months at a time and could never touch certain foods like cabbage. However, with electric bitters he is suddenly cured entirely of his ailment and can eat foods he hasn’t been able to for years. He testifies that this miracle happened after taking just two bottles of it. 15 years of pain and suffering all fixed with two bottles of ‘electric’ bitters. Even though this is most definitely a lie, if you were desperate and out of options, wouldn’t you also hope for a miracle?
Journalists like Samuel Hopkins Adams have been researching and debunking these cure-alls for years. Adams actually found Dr. King’s ‘bitters’ have high levels of chloroform and morphine, not to mention the high levels of pure bitter roots which make them potentially toxic. They also warn people of what the sellers won’t: these bitters are not to be taken by everyone, such as pregnant women or diabetic people. Luckily despite the wide coverage scamming quack doctors get, real organic medication and food enthusiasts continue to show that going the traditional way still has its benefits and good people. For example, Dickinson’s witch hazel company has been going strong since 1866. It’s all real, organic, 100% pure witch hazel, a plant very similar in its uses as aloe vera. Its advertised uses are confirmed by doctors and the company doesn’t try to claim it can handle more than what it is meant for. Another wonderful example is the Sturr-dee health catalog. In 1964, they sold organic vitamins, mixed traditional and modern medicine, sold books by actual nutritionist doctors (e.g Dr. Warmbrand), and did what those scamming bitters wouldn’t and couldn’t do: list each ingredient and its amount. So much good in a world full of evil. Remember, traditional medicine isn’t to blame, it’s the selfish, greedy frauds who trick vulnerable people.