Naturopathy promoted in middle school text book

Following are comments from the pasted textbook text below:

I think we see the propagandist approach of this text; the facts littered with speculation, the subtle undermining of MD medical practice, and the allusions
to hokey diagnoses and treatments. Where do you start in explaining what is wrong with a text that's so overwhelmingly bad?

"Most MDs don't talk to their patients about their diets,"

*****beeeeep********
Not according to the American Association of Family Practitioners: "Nutrition plays a major role in both health promotion and disease prevention, in addition to being a therapeutic tool in the treatment of medical, surgical and emotional illness. Physicians should develop the basic skills necessary to assess nutritional status and provide nutrition therapy." http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/aboutus/specialty/rap/eduguide/nutrition.html

"Dr. Kargman treats many HIV and AIDS patients."

*****?????*****
The terms "hiv+aids+naturopathy" returned only 4 pubmed journal references, and no clinical trials demonstrating feasibility of treating HIV and AIDS with Naturopathic medicine.

"Food allergies can cause an immune reaction in the body -- anything from depression to skin problems to migraine headaches."

***beeeeep**** According to AAAI patient information, depression and migraine are NOT on the list of symptoms associated with food allergy, and there is no mention of chronic skin problems either.
(http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/foodallergy.stm)
This AAAI publication also states "An allergist/immunologist is the best qualified
professional to diagnose food allergy." ...Not a nutritionally trained naturopath. Also, though IgE blood testing may eventually provide essential information, initial "Diagnosis requires a carefully organized and detailed assessment of the problem" rather than just sending away a blood sample for testing. --Which, incidentally, doesn't sound like the Naturopath is treating the "whole" person, does it?

Dras


PASTED FROM THE TEXT:
> I have been reading the 2001 version of the
> middle-school textbook
> _Holt Science & Technology: Life Science_. This
> book, issued by
> Holt, Rinehart and Winston (one of the four
> companies that produce
> most of the schoolbooks used in the United States),
> includes
> several feature articles that appear under the
> rubric "CAREERS" and
> that purport to tell students about occupations that
> supposedly have
> something to do with science. The "CAREERS" article
> on page 652
> is devoted to promoting naturopathy. Here is the
> material that Holt
> presents:
>
> Immediately under the "CAREERS" rubric we see a
> photograph
> of a woman who is equipped with a stethoscope.
> Under the
> photo we see the caption "NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN"
> and this bit of text:
>
> Dr. Stacey Kargman of Tucson, Arizona, is a
> doctor of
> naturopathic medicine (NMD), commonly
> referred to as
> a naturopath. An NMD has similar training to
> an MD but
> is less likely than a traditionally trained
> doctor to use
> prescription drugs or surgery to treat a
> patient's
> symptoms. Naturopaths tend to look for a
> natural way
> to treat a patient, using drugs or surgery
> as a last
> resort. Dr. Kargman tries to strengthen her
> patients'
> immune systems by focusing on things like
> nutrition.
>
> Then comes a longer run of text:
>
> Dr. Kargman attended the Southwest College of
> Naturopathic Medicine, where she studied all
> the
> sciences a medical doctor would study -- like
> biochemistry, anatomy, pharmacology, and
> physiology. Beyond the standard medical
> school
> sciences, naturopaths spend an additional
> four years
> studying subjects like botanical medicines,
> homeopathy,
> acupuncture, counseling, and nutrition.
>
> [boldface subhead] The Keystone to Good
> Health
>
> Many naturopaths believe that nutrition is
> the keystone to
> good health. "Most MDs don't talk to their
> patients about
> their diets," Kargman explains. "I'm in a
> position to talk to
> them about what they eat and how it may be
> affecting their
> health. Food allergies can cause an immune
> reaction in the
> body -- anything from depression to skin
> problems to
> migraine headaches. Even though I can
> prescribe
> prescription medications, I usually defer to
> MDs when it
> comes to prescription medications."
>
> Dr. Kargman treats many HIV and AIDS
> patients. She
> encourages these patients and others who need
> prescription medications to work with their
> medical
> doctor and their naturopath at the same time.
> That way,
> patients get the best care.
>
> [boldface subhead] A Fulfilling Career
>
> Dr. Kargman says the best part of her work
> is making
> people feel better. "Someone might come to
> me and
> say they have terrible migraines that they
> can no longer
> live with and that they've seen every doctor.
> After
> examining them, I might be able to tell them
> something
> as simple as, 'Stop eating wheat.' The
> simplest thing can
> change someone's life. . . It's not like
> putting a bandage
> on it. It's fixing the cause of the
> problem."
>
> Next, another photo of Stacey Kargman, with this
> caption:
> "Stacey Kargman, NMD, tries to treat the patient as
> a whole."
>
> In the teacher's edition of Holt's book, page 652
> also carries
> a "Background" item for the teacher:
>
> One kind of sensitivity involves what are
> called IgE
> antibodies. These antibodies engender an
> immediate
> reaction. For example, when a person who is
> allergic
> to strawberries eats a strawberry, and a few
> minutes
> later that person breaks into hives or
> notices that he
> or she has a swollen, irritated tongue, that
> is an IgE
> response.
>
> To help establish which foods are problematic
> for
> someone, naturopaths such as Kargman rely on
> specialized blood tests. After taking blood,
> the
> naturopath will send it to a lab, where it is
> exposed
> to different substances and tested for
> reactions. Once
> a sensitivity has been discovered, a patient
> can avoid
> the foods that have a negative impact on his
> or her
> immune system.