Steven Salzberg writes in "A 'Triumph' of Hype Over Reality" (2011-06-16):
"[regarding] David H. Freedman's July / August story 'The Triumph of New Age Medicine' [...] a very flattering view of the world of alternative medicine [...] what is the 'triumph' of new age medicine? [...it] is really the triumph of marketing over science, of hype over reality [...yet] we do need to find ways to fix what's wrong with the practice of medicine, but not by turning to [the] fairy tales [...of a] multibillion-dollar industry [...] offering ineffective treatments at a handsome profit [...] I believe that when studies show that a treatment doesn't work, it's time to move on. Acupuncture, homeopathy, reiki, ayurveda, healing touch, and other 'energy' therapies have all failed their scientific tests [...] beliefs such as homeopathy that are wildly implausible and that violate well-established principles of physics, chemistry, and biology [...] real science is all about admitting our mistakes and moving on. Alternative medicine isn't new - on the contrary, it consists almost entirely of old, long-disproven methods that have been re-packaged as 'alternative' or 'integrative' medicine, and whose proponents simply won't accept the evidence."
Note: the next post on this blog will deal with the 2011 American Association of Naturopathic Physicians annual convention which similarly uses -- I'm not kidding -- the term "effective" in its convention title, yet, has as keynote speakers..................
wait for it....................
ND-homeopaths!
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