Quackery (work in progress)
Created | Updated Nov 27, 2003
In our technological age people still subscribe to alternative medicine and fad diets, partly as a reaction to technology (see Luddites) and also for personal empowerment. I would like to outline how this quackery works. The best sources are the books by the late John Diamond and Stephen Barrett's website Quackwatch which are my main reference. In essence the scientific method is the sine qua non.
Does alternative medicine work?
In this context I am defining alternative medicine as treatments that haven't been submitted to scientific scrutiny or haven't been proven to work. There are non-mainstream modalities that have been studied and accepted to work, sometimes only within a limited remit. Some of the most dramatic claims for alternative medicine have been debunked. The Communist Chinese claims that major operations could be carried out under acupuncture have been shown to be propaganda. The famous positive study of homeopathy published in Nature was found to be down to contamination. As John Diamond asserts, no matter how a treatment works it can be shown to work or not in exactly the same way as conventional treatments.
Alternative medicines seem to work - there are glowing testimonials from satisfied patients. There are good reasons for demanding the application of the scientific method.
Anecdotes are useless. The people that write in with testimonials could be a small selection of the users of that medicine.
Does alternative medicine work?
In this context I am defining alternative medicine as treatments that haven't been submitted to scientific scrutiny or haven't been proven to work. There are non-mainstream modalities that have been studied and accepted to work, sometimes only within a limited remit. Some of the most dramatic claims for alternative medicine have been debunked. The Communist Chinese claims that major operations could be carried out under acupuncture have been shown to be propaganda. The famous positive study of homeopathy published in Nature was found to be down to contamination. As John Diamond asserts, no matter how a treatment works it can be shown to work or not in exactly the same way as conventional treatments.
Alternative medicines seem to work - there are glowing testimonials from satisfied patients. There are good reasons for demanding the application of the scientific method.
Anecdotes are useless. The people that write in with testimonials could be a small selection of the users of that medicine.
