Does “Alternative” Mean Quackery?
The there are as many definitions of “alternative health practices” as there are branches of it. Alternative healing practices can include such therapies as acupuncture, reflexology, chiropractics, biofeedback, herbal medicines, homeopathy, naturopathy, massage, and even yoga and meditation. Some skeptics of alternative forms of healing attack alternative medical practices as “unscientific” and make claims about the treatments that are as outlandish as their own criticisms. For instance the Skeptics Dictionary (skepdic.com) defines “alternative health practices” as being based on “untested, untraditional or unscientific principles, methods, treatments or knowledge,” but goes on to include most of the above-mentioned healing practices in its article as recognized “alternative” medical practices. To qualify many alternative forms of healing as “untested, untraditional or unscientific” really precludes any alternative from Western healing. Yet the fact remains that not only have many West
Related Questions
- Im exempt from the CIA Qualification Standard. Does this mean I can meet my SOA CPD requirement using alternative compliance and earning no CPD credits?
- What does it mean under alternative qualification to have 3 units supervised field experience?
- What does the label (on herbal medicine bottles) "No approved therapeutic claim" mean?
