Alternative Medicine

Critics of alternative medicine argue that practitioners sometimes lack randomized controlled trials or double-blind experimental validation of their techniques. As a result, these methods are widely viewed as pseudoscience and quackery. Pseudoscience is any body of knowledge purporting to be factual and scientific, but which fails to comply with the usual scientific tests of repeatability, consistency with existing well-established science and experimental result, experimental accessibility, etc. Motivations for the advocacy or promotion of pseudoscience may range from simple naïvety about the nature of science or the scientific method, to deliberate deception for financial or other benefit.

Additional reasons that most doctors and scientists have this view about many aspects of alternative medicine is that some claimed alternative branches of medicine:

assert claims without supporting experimental evidence;
assert claims which contradict experimentally established results;
fail to provide an experimental possiblity of reproducible results;
violate Occam's Razor, the principle of choosing the simplest explanation when multiple viable explanations are possible;
can be accounted for by the fact that for psychological reasons, nearly any treatment will always provide at least some people will temporary pain relief, even if the treatment is totally ineffective. This is known as the placebo effect.

Practitioners of alternative medicine generally believe in the efficacy of their techniques. In most cases, advocates of these methods have a near-religious certainty in the efficacy of their treatments; skeptics point out that the certainty of advocates is usually in direct proportion to the lack of peer-reviewed documentation. As such, doctors and medical scientists view support for alternative medicine to be a form of faith rather than science.

Criticisms of alternative medicine are complicated by the wide variety of alternative medical practices. Often, critics focus on a single practice, and argue that its failures generalize to the field as a whole.

Some elements of the medical profession have called for alternative therapies, particularly herbal medicines, to be regulated in the same way as conventional medicine. This would require these treatments to be proven effective in scientific trials, a hurdle that these critics strongly believe would not be met.

Support for alternative medicine

Proponents of alternative medicine argue that its popularity suggests that it cannot be without merit, and dispute the claim that alternative medicine is not supported by research. For example:

"About half the general population in developed countries uses complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Yet many conventional healthcare professionals refuse to take CAM seriously — one often-voiced argument is “there is no research in CAM”. Certainly, for some modalities there is no compelling evidence base, and some of the research into CAM has methodological flaws and biases. On the other hand, many doctors and medical educators are uninformed about the quality evidence that does exist."[7]

Searching on the web site called PubMed using their alternative medicine information selector (cam [sb]) reveals that there are over 370,000 research papers published on alternative medicine since 1966 in the National Library of Medicine database. (However, nearly none of these are double-blind peer-reviewed experiments.)

Supporters also dispute attempts by critics to group all forms of alternative medicine together, arguing that the question of the effectiveness of various techniques used by practitioners of alternative medicine has to be considered independently for each method.

In the United States, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health, provides funding and other support for research in alternative medicine.

Comparing alternative medicine to conventional medicine

Practitioners of mainstream conventional medicine rely on the scientific method for results. They argue that it is impossible to use testimonials, hearsay and mystical arguments as proof. Proponents of alternative medicine counter that much evidence dismissed as hearsay in fact represents clinical experience. Eclectic branches of alternative medicine place greater value upon the clinical experience of the practitioner than on their science.

Some proponents of alternative medicine dispute the degree to which conventional medical practices are scientifically justified. Although many aspects of conventional medicine such as antibiotics, asepsis, and the use of clinical trials to evaluate new medications and surgical techniques are science-based, many conventional medical practices persist from pre-scientific medical traditions. Many of these practices were never evaluated scientifically before the rise of evidence-based medicine (EBM), which did not actually appear until the 1970s with the McMaster Medical School in Canada that used a clinical learning strategy that would eventually develop, via further work at Harvard University in the 1980s and the establishment of the Center for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University in 1995, into modern evidence-based medicine. Researchers in this area have shown that such practices as yearly physical examinations provide no measurable benefit to many patients.

Some proponents of alternative medicine argue that the lack of evaluation of such practices prior to the 1990s means that it cannot be truly claimed that conventional medicine practitioners relied upon the scientific method for their results.

Science and alternative medicine

Proponents of alternative medicine argue that some forms of alternative medicine was viewed as quackery in the past, but is accepted as mainstream medicine now.

Mainstream doctors and scientists agree that new research is revealing evidence that a small number of alternative health treatments might be effective [3],[4],[5]. These treatements are those that are being shown to have results in peer-reviewed studies. As such, in a few cases, the boundary lines between alternative and mainstream medicine changes over time. Methods considered alternative at one time may later be adopted by conventional medicine.

Experimental evaluation of alternative medicine is often difficult. Some of the problems that arise [7] are:

Funding for research in complementary and alternative medicine is limited.
Double-blind trials are difficult for many alternative medical techniques, which involve hands-on manipulation by trained practitioners that cannot easily be replaced by an equivalent placebo, or which require a holistic approach to treatment that cannot easily be reduced to a single variable.
Claimed effects of alternative medical practices are often subtle (requiring large sample sizes) and appear only after long periods of treatment (requiring long studies).
Ethical issues arise in conducting double-blind studies where the researchers or patients strongly believe that one treatment is superior to another.
Practitioners of some branches of alternative medicine may oppose experimental testing of practices whose justification involves a mystical or religious framework, fearing that the outcome of (possibly biased) tests may call the broader framework into question.

These difficulties often discourage work by trained scientists on alternative medicine, and can lead to a negative feedback loop where a lack of rigorous research leads to a perception of poor credibility, which in turn limits further research.

References

Journals dedicated to alternative medicine research

Alternative therapies in health and medicine. Aliso Viejo, CA : InnoVision Communications, c1995- NLM ID: 9502013
Alternative medicine review : a journal of clinical therapeutic. Sandpoint, Idaho : Thorne Research, Inc., c1996- NLM ID: 9705340
BMC complementary and alternative medicine. London : BioMed Central, [2001- NLM ID: 101088661
Complementary therapies in medicine. Edinburgh ; New York : Churchill Livingstone, c1993- NLM ID: 9308777
The journal of alternative and complementary medicine : research on paradigm, practice, and policy. New York, NY : Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., c1995- NLM ID: 9508124
Journal of alternative & complementary medicine. London : Argus Health Publications, c1989- NLM ID: 9883124

Research articles cited in the text

Kleijnen J, Knipschild P, ter Riet G. Clinical trials of homoeopathy. BMJ. 1991 Feb 9;302(6772):316-23. Erratum in: BMJ 1991 Apr 6;302(6780):818. PMID: 1825800 Abstract
Linde K, Clausius N, Ramirez G. Are the clinical effects of homeopathy placebo effects? A meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials. Lancet. 1997 Sep 20;350(9081):834-43. Erratum in: Lancet 1998 Jan 17;351(9097):220. PMID: 9310601 Abstract
Michalsen A, Ludtke R, Buhring M. Thermal hydrotherapy improves quality of life and hemodynamic function in patients with chronic heart failure. Am Heart J. 2003 Oct;146(4):E11. PMID: 14564334 Abstract
Gonsalkorale WM, Miller V, Afzal A, Whorwell PJ. Long term benefits of hypnotherapy for irritable bowel syndrome. Gut. 2003 Nov;52(11):1623-9. PMID: 14570733 Abstract
Berga SL, Marcus MD, Loucks TL. Recovery of ovarian activity in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea who were treated with cognitive behavior therapy. Fertility and Sterility , Volume 80, Issue 4, Pages 976-981 (October 2003) Abstract
Eisenberg DM, Davis RB, Ettner SL. Trends in alternative medicine use in the United States, 1990-1997. JAMA. 1998; 280:1569-1575. PMID: 9820257 Abstract
Ernst E. Obstacles to research in complementary and alternative medicine. Med J Aust. 2003 Sep 15;179(6):279-80. PMID: 12964907 MJA online

Other works that discuss alternative medicine

WHERE DO AMERICANS GO FOR HEALTHCARE? by Anna Rosenfeld, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Planer, Felix E. 1988 Superstition Revised ed. Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books
Hand, Wayland D. 1980 Folk Magical Medicine and Symbolism in the West in Magical Medicine Berkeley: University of California Press, pp. 305-319.
Phillips Stevens Jr. Nov./Dec. 2001 Magical Thinking in Complementary and Alternative Medicine Skeptical Inquier Magazine, Nov.Dec/2001

Domain	Definitions
Health	Practices not generally recognized by the medical community as standard or conventional medical approaches and used instead of standard treatments. Alternative medicine includes the taking of dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, and herbal preparations; the drinking of special teas; and practices such as massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Domain	Title
Books	Alternative Medicine and Multiple Sclerosis (reference) Breast Cancer: Beyond Convention--The World's Foremost Authorities on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Offer Advice on Healing (reference) Nature Cures: The History of Alternative Medicine in America (reference) Surviving Lyme Disease Using Alternative Medicine (reference) Triumph Over Hepatitis C : An Alternative Medicine Solution Revised Edition (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	Alternative Medicine Research Report (reference) Practical Reviews Complementary & Alternative Medicine - Soundrecording (reference) (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies	Today - Alternative Medicine (reference) (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music	Alternative Medicine (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech	Guide to Alternative Medicine (Jewel Case) (reference) (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		In the drop box at the top, select "Complementary and Alternative Medicine." (references)
		Homeopathy and naturopathy are also examples of complete alternative medicine systems. (references)
		The Best Case Series Program is overseen by the NCI's Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM). (references)
Business		The demands of an aging population will also create opportunities, ranging from the need for special diets to special needs in the fields of leisure and care. In America the health-care industry is turning to franchised medicine, ranging from private-duty nursing agencies to the provision of alternative medicine. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Speaker	Phrase(s)
Andrew Weil	There's a quite a movement now of veterinarians practicing natural medicine, alternative medicine. You can track this through Internet. Most communities have veterinarians doing this.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expression	Frequency per Day	Expression	Frequency per Day
alternative medicine	2,266	alternative medicine uk	7
alternative medicine cancer	72	alternative medicine and adhd	7
alternative medicine school	40	depression and alternative medicine	7
complimentary alternative medicine	38	alternative medicine homeopathy	7
alternative medicine magazine	22	natural alternative medicine	7
national center for complementary alternative medicine	15	alternative medicine canada	6
gale encyclopedia of alternative medicine	14	alternative medicine high blood pressure	6
herbal alternative medicine	14	allergy alternative medicine	6
diabetes alternative medicine	13	alternative medicine product	6
alternative medicine doctor	12	menopause alternative medicine	6
holistic alternative medicine	12	alternative medicine thyroid	6
arthritis and alternative medicine	10	career in alternative medicine	6
acupuncture alternative medicine	10	alternative medicine and chinese herb	6
dog alternative medicine	10	multiple sclerosis alternative medicine	5
alternative medicine journal	9	alternative medicine therapy	5
alternative medicine review	8	alternative medicine career	5
alternative medicine college	8	alternative medicine for lupus	5
alternative medicine herb	8	office alternative medicine	5
alternative medicine health	8	book alternative medicine	5
alternative medicine orange county	7	alternative medicine insurance	5
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expression using "alternative medicine": complementary and alternative medicine. Additional references.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language		Translations for "alternative medicine"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Danish		alternative medicin (non-conventional medicine), alternative behandlingsformer (non-conventional medicine). (various references)

Dutch		alternatieve tak van geneeskunst, alternatieve geneeswijzen (non-conventional medicine). (various references)

French		médecine parallèle, médecine non conventionnelle, médecine alternative. (various references)

German		alternative Medizin (non-conventional medicine), Parallelmedezin (non-conventional medicine). (various references)

Greek		μη συμβατική ιατρική (non-conventional medicine), παράλληλη ιατρική (non-conventional medicine), εvαλλακτική ιατρική (non-conventional medicine). (various references)

Italian		medicina alternativa (non-conventional medicine). (various references)

Pig Latin		alternativeay edicinemay

Portuguese		medicina paralela (non-conventional medicine), medicina alternativa (non-conventional medicine). (various references)

Spanish		medicina paralela (non-conventional medicine), medicina alternativa (non-conventional medicine). (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Misspellings
	"Alternative Medicine" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: altermative medicine. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

Scrabble® YAWL-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-a-c-d-e-e-e-e-i-i-i-l-m-n-n-r-t-t-v"
	-5 letters: interlaminated.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

Alternative Medicine

Definition: Alternative Medicine