[illuminate]

"I dislike the entire concept of "we don't really know what is going on, so we will claim your body is merely attacking itself for no real reason". "

Likely because you have an unrealistic expectation for how the immune system actually works. One that works "too well" is not advantageous. "No real reason" is silly, because that is the job of the immune system, to attack invaders. If it misidentifies your own systems as invasive, it will attack your own systems. The mechanism is not in question, how to treat it best is.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/more-boosting/

[Mz]

And the conclusion about how to treat it will be strongly shaped by the mental models framing the inquiry. A lot of our current mental models are actively hostile to the body. There have been articles posted to HN about the fact that most medical research is highly biased from the get go to confirm the researcher's pre-existing bias.

Thanks for replying.

[illuminate]

"A lot of our current mental models are actively hostile to the body."

Because plenty of the conditions are due to the body's hostility to itself, or because what may kill invaders will also injure the body.

There are rarely, if ever cure-alls that do not affect the body's normal function, and assuming that the body's function is at all times beneficial is a mistake, a flaw in your "alternate" models.

The body can generally take care of itself, but does not always, in every person and situation. We are not perfect beings and clinging to those assumptions hurts humanity more than any flaw in the dominant model.

Reform is a wonderful, necessary goal. Tossing aside evidence-based medicine to do so is utterly foolish.

[Mz]

Your mental model is that it is due to the body's hostility to itself. You do not need to defend that because that is a generally accepted model. It is still a mental model, which is distinct from reality. Yet mental models also shape reality. How we perceive or frame something influences how we address it.

I am not saying nothing ever goes wrong or that we are perfect beings. Nor am I clinging to any assumptions.

[illuminate]

"Nor am I clinging to any assumptions."

" I have found that strengthening the body first and then re-exposing myself is a way to get healthier."

This is certainly a falsifiable assumption.

[illuminate]

"It is an observation after the act, not an assumption."

You are unsatisfied with the "assumptions" of medical science's model, so you are offering your own interpretation of reality. Why should your assumptions about behavior and causal relationships be judged any less harshly than you judge the dominant model?

[Mz]

I am not trying to offer my own "interpretation" of reality. I am trying to figure out how to share my best understanding of what worked and why. I don't assume it will merely stop there. And I am trying to figure out how to cross the chasm of communication. However, when I make sincere efforts to try to find out what I need to do to get there from here, the most common result is dismissive and hostile personal attacks, not useful feedback.

I realize that is not your problem to solve. But when you accuse me of not even trying, the only meaningful reply I have is that I can find no path forward since I am constantly attacked and shut out. For now, I remain at an impasse, unable to develop the site in a manner satisfactory to those who feel it is inadequate and feel that is sufficient justification for ugly ad hominems.

Your willingness to talk to me about this is essentially a first. Most people either wish to paint me as a potential savior, who can magically get them well without this communication process, or evil and insane. I want neither role. So I have intentionally stepped away from situations where I was given no other option. I believe it is far better to not share the information than to have people trying things on personal faith in me with no understanding of the process involved. I view that as deadly dangerous. Educating people is hard work. It is impossible work when they want salvation rather than education -- when they want me to tell them what to do, not how to think and problem solve on their own.

So thank you for taking the time to talk to me.

[Mz]

It is an observation after the act, not an assumption. I did not go around intentionally exposing myself to anything. My focus was on removing things and eating better.